Aioka: A Career Genin
by Uncertain-Angel
Summary: AU OFC. The Genin Corp. It's a place the weak and worthless go. Or it used to be until an orphan from Tsuchi No Kuni decides otherwise. Follow Aioka as she reforms Konoha by building up those who've lost hope.
1. 000 Prologue

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

 **A/N:** I'm back! I've finally reached my goal of ten chapters!

* * *

Human nature is an unusual thing. It has potential to be good and evil, and is capable of twisting either to be seen in the opposite light. Human nature says to protect and comfort children, but it also says to place blame on anyone, or anything, else except oneself.

During the Warring Era, clans blamed other clans for the faults of the world-ignoring the fact that they themselves contributed to said faults. In times of peace, villages blamed each other and their ruling lord/kage/daimyo for their lack of security and comfort. So, in a similar line of thought, villages blamed children for the faults of their parents. Such children either died quickly, fled their village, or fell into hatred.

Shojikina Aioka chose to leave.


	2. 001 Arrival

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

 **A/N:** I'd like to thank both **Kyrie Twilight** (who beta'ed my first draft) and **Iaso** (who beta'ed my second draft) for all their help.

The chapters I am posting are my third draft which if a combination of chapter's beta'ed by either **Kyrie** or **Iaso** and new material. The large majority of this next draft of A:CG will be unbeta'ed, so please feel free to point out any grammar mistakes if you feel like it.

New chapters will be posted every other wednesday for as long as I have chapters to post.

Sorry for the long A/N!

* * *

Humidity. It was suffocating. It was heavy. And it blanketed Konohagakure like slime left in the wake of a garden snail.

The entry guards at the western gate were enduring it first hand. Their makeshift fans of scrapped entry forms doing little to alleviate their misery or boredom.

"We probably won't see anyone until the sun starts going down—Kami it's going to be a long day," Zusa huffed as he reached for a couple bottles of water stored beneath the counter.

Bokka hummed in agreement as he scanned the forest before them with half lidded eyes. Commercial travelers wouldn't be moving in this heat for fear of damaging their goods and sojourners would probably wait for better weather rather than risk heat stroke. If anyone arrived before early evening it would be shinobi who had urgent mission reports or civilians with less sense than usual.

"Hyuuga Kyosu was released from the hospital yesterday. Are there any still recovering in the hospital from the Kyuubi attack?" Zusa inquired, while passing his partner a bottle.

Bokka shrugged as he twisted the cap. "Not sure. I've mainly been assigned to landscaping—they said I'll be most useful there, 'cause I'm a decent Doton user."

Zusa muttered jealously. "Lucky."

Doton users were in high demand since the Kyuubi attack six months ago, as they were assigned to smoothing out the roads and parks that had been damaged during the kitsune's rampage. Being a Katon user, Zusa found that he wasn't in as high demand as his partner, leaving him to do what amounted to D-ranks. Luckily, the Genin Corps were beginning to recover the numbers that they had lost during the war, allowing for chunin to return to their normal duties sometime soon. It was no secret that the Third Shinobi War had all but butchered Konoha's Genin Corp.

Bokka smirked at his partner's whining and set the empty bottle by his feet. As he sat up, something near the treeline captured his attention. He squinted—was that a child?

 _Possible danger. Treeline_ , he signed, catching his partner's eye.

Zusa glowered at his partner and crossed his arms, tapping a response against his bicep as he spoke. "Yeah, yeah, rub it in why don't ya?" _What is it?_

 _Child. Maybe._

The two covertly watched the small figure hesitating behind the large pines; they made a point to continue their banter and gossip, though neither was giving it their full attention.

An hour passed before the kid made his way toward them with all the caution of a curious, but feral, cat. When the kid was close enough for the men to make out details Zusa hissed a slew of curses, Bokka silently agreeing with the sentiment. The child wasn't the worst case of emaciation he had seen but it was still horrifying. Rags hung loosely on bony but proud shoulders, the gaping tears in the shirt doing nothing to camouflage the protruding ribs that gave the child his ghastly appearance.

When the kid was within easy hearing distance, but far enough away to prevent an attack, Bokka stood. "Hey there kid, can I help you?" he inquired, ignoring the way the child shifted away from him—the kid looked like he was ready to flee at the slightest sign of aggression.

Large copper colored eyes roved warily between him and a still seated Zusa, displaying a calculating intelligence not often seen in children that young.

' _Either a runaway genin from another village or a poor attempt at entering as a spy,'_ Bokka deduced. It wouldn't be the first time an enemy village had tried to take advantage of Konoha's open gates. Usually spies were better at hiding their training, though, so Bokka was leaning more toward runaway genin.

The child visibly relaxed after a moment of the two chunin patiently waiting for a response. "Can I live here?"

Bokka's smile quirked into a smirk at the blunt but hopeful inquiry. "Depends. Where are your parents?"

"Kaa-chan was killed two years ago. I don't know where my otou-san is; I haven't seen him in three years."

A flash of emotion streaked through the kid's eyes, the corners of his mouth tightening in what Bokka assumed was pain—whether that was due to physical or emotional discomfort, or a mix of both, he couldn't say. He was, however, certain that the look that flashed across the kid's features at the mention of his father was loathing.

"Come into the shade, kid," Bokka invited, motioning to a seat perpendicular to the entry booth. "I'm Suboru Bokka, and the lazy bum behind me is Dyokii Zusa; we're both chunin."

The copper eyed child obeyed and answered distractedly when she caught sight of Zusa's half empty water bottle. "Shojikina Aioka."

Both chunin started and reevaluted the kid. They had assumed she was a boy—it was hard to discern gender from among the bones.

"Nice to meet you, Aioka-chan. Can you tell me why you chose Konoha and where you're from? If I'm not mistaken, you're not a native to Hi no Kuni."

He wasn't mistaken. He had served on the front lines during the Third War and had seen more than enough natives of Tsuchi no kuni to know that the girl was, at the very least, raised there. While she was too malnourished to have an physical distinguishers, her posture and movements gave her away easily enough. All Tsuchi natives, shinobi or not, were sure footed due to daily traversing the treacherous terrain that made up their country.

The girl's feralness made a reappearance as she answered. "Tsuchi no Kuni—I lived in a village called Gankona Hokori. I heard Konoha is nice to kids like me."

"That's a long way from here," Bokka said slowly, accepting the kid's reason—it wasn't an uncommon thing to hear from stray's like her. He was impressed by her honesty; there were more than a few Konoha shinobi that hated anything that came out of Tsuchi no Kuni and would sooner kill the girl than let her step foot into the village. Judging by the way she was holding herself, ready to defend or run, the girl was at least aware that there could have been a negative reaction to her answer.

Shaking his head, Bokka refocused—he needed to get the paperwork ready for whoever would escort the girl to Immigrations. There were ANBU nearby that could, with a bit of cajoling, send a message to the Immigration's office. "Let's get a temporary visa made up for you while we wait for someone to escort you to Immigrations."

Almost an hour later, the two men watched the girl follow another chunin into the village with mixed impressions.

"Either she is going to be an asset to Konoha, or dead as a spy," Bokka commented.

Zusa slouched against the wall carelessly. "Wouldn't be the first, but likely the youngest. She can't be more than ten."

Both chunin cast the disappearing form one last curious glance before returning their attention to the world outside the gate. At the very least, the kid had been something interesting to occupy their otherwise dull day.

 **A:CG**

She had seen many places since fleeing her home. Large, sprawling towns with people draped in wealth beyond her imagination; small villages where families toil day-in-and-day-out to meet the demands of their lords, and everything in between.

Aioka stared at everything she passed as she followed her escort. Wonder, hope, pain, and nervousness warred within her as she moved deeper into the village. Nothing she had seen before came close to matching Konoha.

The people were content. Civilians and shinobi mingled without the tension she was so used to. Children laughed, fought, and ran through the streets without fear. No one in the shadows between the buildings were secretly dying or in pain. It seemed like heaven.

However, she kept herself from allowing this first impression to blind her. She had been mislead by such things in the past with painful consequences.

"Where are you from, Aioka-chan?"

Aioka twitched at the unexpected inquiry from her escort. The gate was several minutes behind them and the journey had been spent in silence. A glance toward the young man's face revealed an amused grin that lit his eyes.

Uncertain about the cause of his amusement her lips curved hesitantly around her reply. "Tsuchi no Kuni. I'm an orphan as far as otou-san, and myself, care."

The shinobi's humor faded but didn't disappear at her answer-which was nice, since most people in Hi no kuni got agitated when she told them where she was from. It was...irritating that they judged her by her country and not for who she was.

"That sounds like it has a story to it."

Aioka smiled wryly as she watched a group of kids get scolded by a vendor for kicking their ball into his stand. In any other village the vendor would be using more than stern words on kids in the same situation. Worse had been doled out for lesser offences.

"My Otou-san is a nuke-nin, shinobi-san."

She did not mind admitting it. She was not who sired her and she knew that. But it rankled that people always treated her differently when they found out. How a person reacted to the revelation, told Aioka a lot about what to expect.

"I'm sorry to hear that. How long ago did he leave you?"

Aioka eyed her guide in bemusement. Disgust, mistrust, and indifference were normal responses. Sympathy? That was a new one and she wasn't sure if she liked it.

"Three years ago."

The chunin offered an accepting hum. "What do you plan on doing if you're accepted as a citizen?"

"Take a bath."

* * *

The chunin gave a startled laugh at the determined tone the girl took. "I meant: what do you want to do? Are you going to go to school? Find work?"

The girl's expression morphed into puzzlement, her eyes never staying in one place. It was annoying how he couldn't tell if that puzzlement was directed at his question or something in the crowds in front of them.

Ever since he had retrieved the child from the gates, he had been trying to evaluate the girl's personality and threat level. For the most part, she appeared relatively harmless. Her manners were lacking-as most streets kids were-and she seemed bewildered by various interaction between vendors and customers.

The only thing that really bothered him-beyond her emaciated state-was her unnerving ability to suppress her chakra signature. He may not have been the best sensor around, but he was certainly able to detect somebody's signature if they stood beside him, and he couldn't do that for her. If he hadn't been able to smell and touch her, the chunin would have been convinced that his mind was playing games with him.

The girl finally answered after a father lifted his daughter on to his shoulders and disappeared into the crowd. At least that answered what was puzzling her, though why that interaction was interesting to her was temporarily a mystery.

"I'd like to be a shinobi if possible, though school would be nice. I've always wanted to learn how to read."

"That's good. Do you like to learn new things?"

As they walked the chunin continued to keep the girl talking all the way to the Immigrations' Office. He learned that she was eleven-which nearly caused him to choke; she looked eight!-and that she had learned about Konoha through the complaints of nuke-nin and the gossip of civilians. Every word she spoke, move she made, was another clue into the girl's personality.

When the chunin handed the girl over for the physical examination all citizen-applicants were required to receive, he thought he had a fair First Impressions report.

The girl was a bundle of contradictions- she was trusting, but wary. Ignorant yet intelligent. Aloof but personable... Over-all her threat level was a three on a scale of ten. She had the potential to be a threat, due to her chakra suppression ability, but seemingly lacked any desire to harm Konoha. When she spoke of her hopes for her future in Konoha, they all revolved around learning anything anyone would teach her. Particularly shinobi skills.

The officer on duty was skeptical, when the chunin mentioned the anomaly, but said he would look into it and dismissed the chunin.

His job done, the chunin left with a silent wish for luck in the girls' direction.

 **A:CG**

The immigration office was not unfamiliar with children. Children of all backgrounds fled to Konoha in hopes of becoming shinobi. Many of those children were returned to their homes lest their outraged parents accuse Konoha of kidnapping.

When children with legitimate potential showed up, it was the immigration offices' job to vet them for foreign allegiances. If the child passed, they were put on a six month probation before being permitted into the Academy. If they didn't pass, they were asked to leave.

Shojikina Aioka, appeared to be a typical street rat at first glance. She was scrawny, dirty, lacked manners, and wary. But the longer she was in the officer's presence, the less he believed her to be a mere street rat.

Street rat's often gave false positives for shinobi training due to their ingrained caution of people, quiet movements from life as thieves, and higher than normal awareness of their surroundings. The young girl displayed all of these signs but there was a certain refinement to them that drew the officer's attention.

"Can you read or write, Aioka-san?" he asked.

The girl shook her head, her eyes flashing to the door just beyond her peripheral. "I can count and put numbers together and take them apart, though."

The officer made note of basic math skills, amused by the girl's description of addition and subtraction. He hadn't heard it put quite like that before.

"Then I will read the forms out loud and fill in the answers for you. Will this be acceptable?"

The girl gave him an odd look, as if his question was silly, but nodded her acceptance. "Can I have some water first?"

The officer nodded and made note that the girl wasn't timid about making requests, before channeling some chakra into a seal on his desk and answering her inquire. "Of course, I'll send for someone. Now, what is your full name, place and date of birth?"

Before he had uttered the first word, the officer found himself facing an entirely different demeanor in the girl. The unease tinged with innocent curiosity was replaced by cold wariness- figiting exchanged for stillness of readiness for action.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, subtly shifting his weight in case he needed to move.

Hard eyes stared at him balefully. "I don't want to fight."

Utterly confused, the officer stared at the tense girl. What had he said or done that translated into a threat?

Before he could voice his question, the crack of wood striking wood froze the genin who stepped into the room. The chair that the girl once occupied trembled as it settled with its back rest on the floor.

"Bring two bottles of water, Jiro-san, and please knock when you return," the officer instructed after a long pause where neither of the three moved.

The young man bowed in acknowledgement and left with a bemused look at the little girl standing warily against the far wall.

"Please sit, Shojikina-san. I don't know what made you think I want to attack you, but I assure you that wasn't my intent."

The girl stared at him for a long moment but eventually righted the chair and sat down with it angled so she could see the door better.

"Shojikina Aioka, Hokori in Tsuchi no kuni, sometime early May eleven years ago."

The officer paused in his recording of the strange defensive reaction to figure out what the girl meant-then smiled. The girl had a good memory.

"Thank you. What just happened, Shojikina-san? As far as I can tell I didn't do anything to warrant such a reaction."

A puzzled frown drew a line between the girl eyebrows. "Warrant?"

"Warrant means deserve, earn, or qualify."

Curiosity faded with understanding and the girl glanced to where his hand rested. "You used chakra and someone came running."

The officer glanced at the hidden seal with surprise then turned his gaze thoughtfully to the girl. Deliberately he channeled chakra to his hora but didn't direct it elsewhere. The girl's tension was immediately apparent so he released the flow and smiled faintly. "You're a Sensor."

The girl looked puzzled and wary, but not afraid. "What?"

"A Sensor is a person who is more sensitive to chakra than most people. I take it you can feel the people outside this room?"

A cautious nod confirmed his suspicions.

"Does your ability cause you pain?"

"Sometimes."

The officer nodded and made a note to come back to this topic later. "Before we continue you need to know that suppressing your signature is not a good idea if you are to stay in Konoha."

The girl shifted so one leg was tucked under her and leaned an elbow on her knee and her chin in her hand. "Why?"

"Chakra signatures are a primary way for shinobi to identify each other. In the shinobi world, it's used for identification and communication, among other things," the officer explained.

The girl frowned uneasily at his explanation. "But...otou-san and the others hunted me if my signature was out."

So the suppression of her signature was a survival instinct. Interesting. The officer grimaced as that thought sank in- it would take the child a long time to break the habit of flinching and probably even longer to stop reflexively hiding her own signature.

"Hiding your signature is very dangerous in-village, Shojikina-san. When people do that, it normally means that they're trying to hide, and the shinobi around here will take that as a threat. They'll attack first and ask questions later. So, try to keep your signature out—it'll cause a lot less headaches for everyone involved."

There was doubt on the girl's face but she did finally unveil her signature only for it flicker out as her eyes darted to the door. The genin from earlier knocked and came in with the requested water. When he was gone again the girl pushed her signature out. Clearly that was going to be a rough habit for her to break.

"Alright, let's get back to the forms shall we?" the officer suggested when the girl drained her water bottle. At the girl's nod of acceptance he ran his finger down the form to find his place. "Names of any known family members and are they alive."

"My kaa-san was Shojikina Meiko...she's dead. My otou-san's name is Shojikina Choi, he's a nuke-nin of Iwagakure."

He wrote the information down, his pen pausing before he wrote the last bit.

 _'A nuke-nin, eh? Interesting.'_

"Skills?"

The girl shifted to sit crossed legged on her chair. "What do you mean?"

"Like, can you cook, fish, or sew?"

"I know how to fish," she offered uncertainly.

The officer nodded, asking a few more leading questions when the girl remained confused as to what he wanted to know. Most of what he learned suggested that the girl had spent most of her life on the streets. She knew how to survive in the wilds by hunting and hiding, and she had taught some of the other street rats she came across—at that, he added a note about compassion in the personality section of her file—and likely was an old hand at stealing.

When asked about any domestic skills she had, the blank look he received was enough of answer for him. Then it was time to move on to the more unpleasant parts of questioning immigrants. Standard procedure required that all immigrant hopefuls underwent a series of test designed to trigger irritation and anger. Usually genjutsu was used to heighten an applicant's emotions but since the girl was so sensitive to chakra usage he didn't want to risk triggering violent reaction.

"When you hunt, do you enjoy killing?"

"No, not really."

"But you like something about it?"

"Not the killing."

"Have you ever been in a fight?"

"Yeah."

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Um, no."

"Can you think of any reason that you would?"

The girl's eyes sparked with something, but it was quickly hidden as she glanced at the pen he held. "No."

 _'A lie,'_ he thought, flipping a page to make note of it. "If your friend starts a fight, would you help them?"

"I've never had a friend."

"What about those kids you taught? Would you help them in a fight?"

"Only if they couldn't get themselves out of it."

This line of questioning continued for nearly half an hour before the girl finally showed her temper with a single, potent spike of killing intent. The man found himself giving an inward sigh of relief.

"Relax, Shojikina-san. It was just a test."

The girl took a deep breath. "Are we going to be done soon? I need to find a place to sleep before night falls."

The man nodded. "Almost. I have a few more questions then we will determine whether or not you qualify for your own place or will go to the orphanage until you are either adopted or you find a means of supporting yourself."

 **A:CG**

Aioka slumped exhaustedly on the floor. Her definition of 'almost' and the immigration officer's definition were apparently very different.

The officer had kept her for another two hours asking about her history, how she had decided to come to Konoha, what she planned on doing if accepted as a citizen. After that, he told her about the classes she would be required to attend during her probation period and then sent her back to the iryo-nin.

The weary girl let her head fall back against the door behind her with a groan. The iryo-nin had been awful. So much chakra use that close to her with her senses spread as far as she could handle was absolute agony. Aioka was surprised her nose hadn't started to bleed from the pain.

A few good things compensated for all the pain, though. Like learning she would no longer lose weight even though she ate regularly or have unpleasant experiences relieving herself. Apparently she had had parasitic worms in her intestines that stole all the nutrients from her food. According to the iryo-nin those worms were gone now and Aioka would start to gain weight if she ate regularly.

The iryo-nin had returned her to the officer and Aioka had spent another hour listening to the man tell her she qualified for an apartment and a year's worth of ryo. She was expected to pay the ryo back within five years, whether or not she was granted full citizenship. Aioka wondered how they could make her pay if she didn't live there but never asked when the man summoned a kunoichi to help her gather some basics and to take her to her apartment.

Flopping her head to the right, Aioka stared dully at the numerous bags of...stuff the kunoichi had insisted she needed. If she hadn't been so tired, she might have protested more effectively against wasting the ryo the officer had entrusted her with.

The futon, blanket, and food she hand understood; but why did she need more than two sets of clothes? And what were toiletries?

Groaning the girl closed her eyes. She could decide what to do with it all after a nap.

Dawn found Aioka awake and putting the last of the food in the cold box. She had never seen one before but had heard civilians raving about how well they stored food.

Pleased with that chore being done she turned to the items she wasn't so sure about. Three bottles of liquid, a box of cotton things, and nice smelling block of soap made up the bag of 'toiletries' the kunoichi had insisted on, went in Aioka's favorite room. The bathroom. The indoor rain room was fascinating and not something she had ever seen.

Getting clean suddenly sounded really good. It took her a few minutes to figure out how to balance the temperature between the handles that made hot or cold rain, but once that happened she happily lathered herself with the block of soap. She hadn't used soap since her kaa-san was alive.

Aioka smiled sadly at the thought. She missed her kaa-san.

A while later, and still damp, Aioka struggled into her new clothes and tentatively tested her sensing range. She quickly found that she would have to find a new comfort zone. Rolling her shoulders she nodded and stepped out of her apartment.

Outside her door was a hall of eight other doors. Only six of the doors had people living behind them at the moment. Once she got a feel for her new neighbours, the girl turned her attention to finding her way out of the building. A wrong turn or two later, Aioka finally stepped into the streets of Konoha. It was still early and very few people were out yet, though she could sense people stirring in the building she just left and even a few shinobi scattered over the rooftops.

Taking note of her surroundings for future reference, Aioka headed toward a mountain with four faces in it. If she wanted to get an overall idea of the size of Konoha, that would be a good place to start.

As she walked, Aioka looked at everything she passed with wonder and curiosity. This village was much cleaner and bigger than the previous places she had been. No drunks or pleasure women littered the side streets, no trash cluttered the roads. It was very different—the nice kind of different, she thought. Not that she had been in many big villages before this one. It hurt too much.

Not a block from her building, the girl became aware of someone following her. The hair on her neck and arms stood up uneasily even though the person's signature wasn't hostile. Just as she was contemplating running for it, she recalled the officer's statement about the six month probation period-whatever that meant- and how someone was going to follow her for that time. She also wasn't supposed to hide her signature. With a grimace and a little concentration, she pushed her chakra out, so that other people could sense it.

"Sorry, bad habit," she called.

A faint spike of surprise in the shinobi's chakra made her flinch, her signature flickering out and back. She wondered if she would ever get used to how these shinobi used their signatures for communications. Dismissing her tag along from her mind she continued her way toward the mountain with faces.

By the time she reached the top of the mountain, Aioka was unnerved by the amount of people around and her inability to keep track of her usual amount of area. Usually she could sense everything within her throwing distance but since entering the gates yesterday she was barely able to keep track of everything within twenty paces of her in either direction. She felt blind and did not like it. At. All.

Glowering at the village below her, Aioka sat and eased her senses out. Information swam through her mind, alerting Aioka to the all signatures within half a mile of her. The shinobi that was following her blazed a lazy red to her senses, while the tree he had settled in glowed a soft blue; a red/orange flame was motionless in what seemed to be a clearing; the bird's eggs in the nest, which was settled inside the ear of one of the faces of the monument, glowed a faint blue; someone moving in the house below the mountain blazed blue.

Satisfied that she was mostly alone Aioka settled on her back and closed her eyes—steeling herself for the inevitable agony she was about to inflict upon herself.

For one torturous minute she saw every single life form for miles in every direction.

Everything glowed varying intensities of blue, red, and orange, attempting to tell Aioka the danger level of each thing. With a choked sob, she slowly muffled her senses until she could understand the information she was getting rather than drowning in it..

Curling in on herself she found a range that wouldn't render her immobile. For a long while the girl lay curled up and silently enduring the aftershocks of over exerting herself. When the tremors passed, she sat up. There was a dulled headache pulsing in her skull and her ears were ringing. Luckily, she wasn't bleeding this time. She still found it draining to use her full range, but it grew easier each time she did it. Plus, it gave her the general layout of the village. If she did that every week, she was confident that she would have the village memorized inside and out within six months.

It would hurt, but the knowledge provided made it worth it to her.

Wiping her eyes, she sniffed once, squared her shoulders, and made her way back down the mountain. It was time to see how much she could recall from her brief view of the village.

 **A:CG**


	3. 002 Mentor?

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

 **A/N:** I need to mention that my update day is, unfortunately, subject to change.

I travel with my husband for his work and we often have little to no warning before we move on to the next job. If I miss an update before I hit chap. 10 assume I'm in the middle of a move and will post the following wednesday.

Uncertain

* * *

Nara Shikoru watched the scene unfolding before him, torn between laughing and hiding his face. He wasn't even five hours into his shift yet, and he already had more episodes of second hand embarrassment than he had had in his entire life. Considering he was a Nara, and usually couldn't care less, it just went to say how awful the situation was.

Facing a man with an exceptionally red face, with her head tilted curiously, was the cause of the chunnin's unusual emotions. According to the file he had received on the bedraggled child, the girl's name was Shojikina Aioka, roughly eleven years old, and had a habit of suppressing her signature.

' _They should have made a comment on her atrocious manners,'_ the Nara thought, keeping an eye on the girl when the shopkeeper turned his back to get whatever it was the girl had demanded of him.

Not three hours ago the girl had pilfered an apple from a vendor and the chunnin doubted a single scolding would break the habit. The execution had been flawless and so nonchalant Shikoru couldn't help but stare at her for a moment, mildly impressed, before stopping her on the next block. The only reason he had caught her theft was because he was looking for it, as her file had a warning about possible pickpocketing skills from her life as a street rat.

The girl perked up when the irritate shopkeeper returned with a basket of fruit and prepackaged meals. Her lips moved, saying something to the shopkeeper that was unintelligible, and Shikoru saw a shift in the shopkeeper's face that foretold of a mood that had just been soured further.

Shikoru narrowed his eyes; the girl shifted into a subtly defensive stance but didn't cower. That reaction struck him as odd. In the short time he had observed her, he would have guessed she would be more flinchy in the face of aggression—her file had mentioned signs of potential abuse in the past.

A few more words were exchanged before the girl offered the shopkeeper a wad of ryo and stalked off, not bothering to count the money. She should have—there wasn't a chance that what few groceries she had purchased could cost as much as was in the stack of money. He knew she could count, she had said she could in her interview.

As the girl left the shop, she turned to him and Shikoru found himself on the receiving end of a proud grin. Baffled by the eager expression of approval, he nodded and pointedly flickered his signature at her. The grin turned sheepish as the kid obeyed the reminder before trotting off with her goods.

What had that been about?

 **A:CG**

"...rude, Ami-san. I don't know how much longer…"

Aioka's shoulders curled as she shut the door and fled from the gossip between the senseis. She had hoped that she would be able to ask Akora-sensei for some help with the classes she was taking but, based on what she had just heard, the pleasant face the older woman had shown in class was nothing but a facade.

Unheeding of the indignant shouts she left in her wake, Aioka raced through the midday crowds. She couldn't face any more scolding today.

Hot tears made tracks down her cheeks as she hiccuped and gasped her way up the Hokage monument. Physical pain contributing to the emotional as her control on her senses wavered in the face of her turmoil. Collapsing beneath a tree a safe distance from the edge of the Nidaime's head, Aioka curled in a tight ball; she was trembling as she brought some semblance of control over her chakra.

"Meow."

Aioka froze, relaxing again once she registered the cat. Sniffling, she sat up and used the hem of her shirt to wipe the snot from her nose.

"H—hey kitty," she mumbled around a hiccup. She held out her hand to the cat, who was sitting just out of her reach.

Large green eyes stared at her for a moment, contemplative, before they blinked and the cat allowed the girl to scratch its ear. Aioka let a weak smile wobble on her lips as the feline gradually settled in her lap, purring contentedly as it basked in the attention.

"You're soft," she murmured, smoothing the cat's ears back, murmuring an apology when the orange ribbon in its' ear caught on a callous on her palm.

As she pet the cat, Aioka allowed her mind to drift back to what had sent her bolting from the Immigrations Center. The classes were really very interesting and she did enjoy learning everything they taught, but the people participating in—and leading—the class erased any pleasure she derived from learning something new. The first day had been wonderful, everyone had been welcoming and kind, but after that... Aioka couldn't figure out what changed.

It had taken her a few days to realize that people didn't like her. When she approached people to buy something to eat, for example, the shopkeepers would become cold and unreasonable, unlike how she saw them treating the other customers. In the mandatory classes, the ones that she was required to take for citizenship, her senseis and her classmates would whisper behind their hands and give her dirty looks.

She couldn't figure out why it was, either—nobody would tell her. She had tried to ask in her class, but anytime she posed any questions to her sensei she was told to be quiet and to stop being so rude. How was she being rude? She was trying to understand, and she couldn't understand if she didn't ask questions!

She let out a tired huff, her chest tightening at the mere thought of her predicament. A wet nose nudged her palm and Aioka looked down at the cat, whose tail was flicking to and fro, it's head tilted. It was agitated—she had stopped petting it, too lost in her thought to continue the motion.

"Sorry, kitty," she murmured. "I'm just thinking."

It had been two weeks since she had arrived in Konoha, and she struggled to decide if having a safe place to sleep was worth the frustration and censure she was exposed to everyday. If the classes weren't nonnegotiable, she would skip them entirely and go about living as she had before.

A small grin crossed her mouth: she would have tried, at least. Apparently, being a street rat wasn't acceptable anymore.

One of her watchers had pulled her aside her second day out in the village to let her know that, 'no, stealing is not okay, use the ryo you were given gaki!'

That watcher had quickly become her favorite. Speaking of favorite chunnin… Aioka giggled as she watched the black cat bolt away, spooked by the shinobi who had landed in the tree above her.

Turning to look up at the man, she grinned. "Hi!"

When he frowned at her, not saying a word, Aioka's smile dimmed. Was he mad at her?

"What's wrong, Yurei-chan?"

Aioka cocked her head, bemused. Ghostly? Why was he calling her that? "Yurei-chan?"

The man—Aioka was pretty sure he wasn't a teenager—dropped beside her and pulled out a cloth. "It's a nickname—now, why are you crying?"

Accepting the cloth when the chunnin put in her hand, Aioka wondered what she was supposed to do with it. "I'm fine."

She really didn't want to talk about it and was he supposed to be talking to her like this? He hadn't ever done this before.

"Troublesome, gaki," he grumbled. Aioka ducked her head at the silly phrase and then jumped when the man sat in front of her and pointed from the cloth to her face. "Wipe your face, you look like you lost a battle with a snot monster and a river."

She did as she was asked; her shirt must not have gotten everything.

His eyes scanned her face when she finished and he nodded once. "Better. Now stop avoiding the question, Yurei-chan. You usually wait before leaving class."

Aioka flushed and twisted the cloth in her hands. "I'm sorry, I'll make sure I wait for you tomorrow."

"If you don't start talking, Aioka-chan, I'm going to assume some really bad things."

Copper eyes widened at the firm tone being used and looked up into a face that momentarily reminded her of her father. "I'm sorry! I just don't understand why nobody talks to me!" she yelped, shrinking back from the unhappy shinobi. A faint trembling glided across her body as her instincts prepared her to flee.

The man jerked back, eyes widening faintly. "Easy, Yurei-chan, I didn't mean to scare you."

* * *

Shikoru's mind reeled, attempting to understand why his warning had triggered such a violent reaction. That wasn't the first time he had used that tone withher. Heck, he had used it the first time he spoke to her!

Putting that line of thought aside for the time being, Shikoru ran a hand over his dark hair, which was not in the typical Nara style, but rather cut close on the sides and long on top. "What's this about no one talking to you? Are your sensei ignoring you in class?"

He had been concerned when the girl wasn't in her normal spot outside the Immigration Center—she knew he came onto shift after her classes, and he knew that she liked to greet him before going about her day. The chunin who had been on duty before him had left a sign in their trade out point to let Shikoru know that he was following the girl toward the Hokage monument.

Seeing the state Aioka was in, he decided he needed to look into the sensei teaching the kid's classes. It wouldn't do if they were being purposefully cruel. They should be used to rude little brats by now—they worked with uncultured people every day, for kami's sake!

"When do they ignore you, Aioka-chan?" he prompted again.

The unkempt child seemed to wilt and the words tumbled out. "I don't know! I ask and ask, but no one will tell me anything! Akora-sensei was really nice and I thought maybe she would talk to me, but then she was just like everyone else and I don't understand!" Shikoru froze as the girl's voice rose with every sentence and all the confusion and frustration poured out of her. "It happens when I go into the store, too! I tried to buy stuff before I go to class, just like you told me to, but the shop people are mean and they lied about how much stuff costs and they gave me bad food. I don't get it—why are they so mean?"

The Nara let the girl rant and wail and cry as he sifted through her words. He had noticed an increase in dislike among the civilians the child interacted with and wasn't the least bit surprised; with the child's lack of tact or manners, she was bound to rub people the wrong way. As he listened to her, though, he was beginning to realize that the preteen didn't have a clue that she was alienating people with her brashness.

Sighing, he took the spare bandana he had leant her and wiped the tears and gunk from her face, ignoring how she tensed under his touch. When he was satisfied with his work, Shikoru folded the soiled cloth and put it back in the girl's hand.

"Come on, let's get you something to eat, and I'll do my best to explain what's going on." The way the girl stared at him made him uncomfortable—had no one ever helped her before or something? He cleared his throat and rose to his feet, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Coming?"

Dragging a grimy wrist over her eyes the girl sniffled and got up. "Yeah."

Waiting for the girl to come to his side, Shikoru ambled down the Hokage Monument and did his best to explain why she was being treated the way she was.

"First of all, you need to understand that I'm not trying to be mean," he began, "even if it sounds like it to you, I want you to understand I'm stating facts, not picking on you. Can you keep that in mind?"

"Yeah."

He glanced down and smiled at the focus the girl was giving him by keeping her eyes on him—how she wasn't tripping was a little baffling, though. "Alright. People like to be treated with respect and courtesy. If they don't get that from a certain person, people will return the favor by not showing the offending person respect or courtesy. When you go into a shop, how do you greet the shopkeeper?"

"I, uh…" Her lips tipped down into a puzzled frown, as if she had never given the idea much thought before. "I go up to him and ask him where the stuff I want is."

"Right. Now you may not mean to be disrespectful and discourteous, but you can't do that. Just going up to him and asking him that without greeting him properly—saying hello and asking if he has time to help you—is showing disrespect and a lacks courtesy."

"But how do I ask for what I need if I can't talk to him?"

Shikoru choked back a startled laugh. The girl's blunt ignorance should not be this amusing. "It's not that you can't talk to him, just that you can't talk to him the way you have been. What you do is: you go in, find the shopkeeper, and wait for him to greet you. When he does that you should return the greeting and ask if he could help for a moment. He'll say yes, don't worry, even if he asks you to wait first while he finishes something. Then you can list out what you're looking for. When he shows where the items are, you thank him and bow."

"Why would I bow? Doesn't that mean I'm his servant, or something?"

Shikoru glanced down at the girl, incredulous at the bewilderment in her expression. This was going to take much longer than lunch to explain. Maybe it would be easier to just show the kid—explaining this was pretty ridiculous.

' _Why can't I be more like dad? Mom's habit of helping every poor soul is exhausting,'_ the Nara thought.

As they walked, the Nara did his best at explaining manners to his ward. The odd looks he got from passing civilians went ignored, but embarrassment could not be avoided when the girl asked about things she didn't understand in very… crude ways.

"Ah, Aioka-chan, calling Hyuuga clansmen that's not—uh—that's not nice," Shikoru chastised, even as he wanted to laugh at her words. He was _incredibly_ thankful the aforementioned clansmen were not around.

The girl sighed in exasperation. "Why is describing people that I want to know about bad?"

"It's the way you describe people that's bad, Aioka-chan. Calling the Hyuuga 'white-eyed people who look like they can't go poop' is very offensive."

He was unable to keep a straight face while saying that, though, and had to cough into his arm to hide the grin that escaped his control.

"Manners are hard. I'm not sure if I'll be able to learn."

' _Ah, screw it,'_ he laughed and ruffled the matted mess the girl claimed as hair. "You'll learn, Yurei-chan. I'll make sure of it."

Stuffing his hands back into his pockets, he continued to let out short chuckles all the way to his favorite restaurant. If he played his cards right, he would be able to coerce his favorite waitress into helping him get the little ghost up to speed on common manners.

Speaking of…

"Neh, Yurei-chan, you're hiding again."

 **A:CG**

"See you tomorrow, Akora-sensei!"

Aioka grinned as the woman replied with a smile and a reminder to practice her kanji. Closing the door behind her, the twelve year trotted out of the building, greeting people as she passed them. A lot had changed since Shikoru-sensei had started teaching her manners. People actually smiled at her now!

Learning wasn't easy—and she messed up a lot—but seeing people smile at her when they used to glare was worth all the frustration. She still didn't understand why wearing certain shoes indoors was important, and remembering what suffix to use when talking to people was hard, but she knew she was making progress. That didn't change the fact that manners were weird and annoying.

Aioka paused outside the Immigration Center, shifting side to side as she stared up at the roof across the street. She had learned something new that day and wanted to ask her friend about it. She would have asked Akora-sensei, but the woman had another class, and wouldn't be able to answer her question.

Aioka's impatient squirming stilled when she caught a flicker of black and orange in the corner of her eye. Beaming, the girl relaxed her signature and squatted to say hello to the black cat. "Hello Neko-chan."

The feline rubbed against her legs, its' purrs audible over the day to day noise of the village. Smiling gently she murmured softly to it as it allowed her to pet it. For a moment the cat basked in her touch, a moment that ended when a chakra signature drew close from above. Aioka chuckled softly as the cat sprinted off and pushed her signature out again as she glanced up at the chunin above her. The man looked mildly amused.

"Morning, Shikoru-sensei," Aioka chirped, popping back to her feet and trotting across the street.

"Good morning, Aioka-san," he greeted, crouching comfortably on the edge of the roof. "I do believe that is the first time I've seen anyone your age get that close to that animal."

Aioka's smile was crooked and mischievous. "Animals like me."

"Uh huh," he drawled, tossing her a bland look for the cheek, but it was broken when he let out a chuckle. "What are the plans today, Yurei-chan?"

"Can we go see Ichika-nee? Er, -san? Um…" Aioka said, her voice trailing off as her enthusiasm faded, her mouth puffing out in a pout.

Shikoru smirked and dropped to the street below him. "Ichika-san would love for you to call her nee-chan."

"I'll ask her when I see her just in case. I called Akora-sensei that the other day and she didn't seem to like it very much."

* * *

Shikoru looked down at his ward, lines around his eyes relaxing. The kid had come a long way since he had decided to mentor her. He was impressed by her learning curve. She was already starting to recognize hiragana characters and sound them out. Manner-wise, she was improving in leaps and bounds, steadily shedding the negative views people had of her everytime she stepped into public.

"What did you learn about today?"

Aioka informed him about learning about the major clans, using a litany of wild hand gestures to illustrate and punctuate her points, while also peppering him with questions about his own clan all the way to the restaurant.

"Shikoru-sensei?" Aioka piped up as the Nara opened the door for her.

"Hm?"

"How do I become a shinobi?"

Shikoru ushered the girl to their usual booth,catching the eye of his favorite waitress, and taking a moment to order his thoughts.

The civilian Akimichi stepped over to their table with a warm smile. "Hello, Shikoru-san, Aioka-chan."

"Hi, Ichika-chan." Shikoru smirked at the brunette, taking pleasure in the blush and vague glare she direct at him. One of these days, he'd get the stubborn woman to agree to go out with him.

"Hello Ichika-san," Aioka replied. "Is it alright if I call you Ichika-nee? Shikoru-sensei said you'd like it but I wanted to make sure."

Shikoru's smirk widened into a grin as Ichika all but melted in the face of the girl's request.

"Of course you can, sweetie," the waitress agreed, eyes gentling to a fawn brown.

' _Fawn brown? Really Shikoru?'_ the chunnin thought, mentally slapping himself and getting his mind back to Aioka's question.

Honestly, he had been expecting the question about becoming a shinobi to come up much sooner than it did. She had stated in her interview that she wanted to become a shinobi but, until a few moments ago, he hadn't seen any action in that direction.

"Would you both like your usual?"

Shikoru pulled back to the present as Aioka ordered beef curry instead of her usual yakisoba. "I'll have my usual and some oolong tea."

When Ichika left Shikoru turned his attention to the expectant girl across from him.

"Why?"

The girl's eyes became solemn. "I like helping people, Shikoru-sensei. I like giving people the tools they need to survive whatever situation they're in."

Shikoru fought back a smile at the declaration. The kid was adorable. "It sounds like you want to be a teacher more than a shinobi."

The girl frowned, trying to come up with the words she needed to explain herself. "I like teaching but I like teaching people how to be better. Like, like…" The girl made a grasping motion with her hands, struggling to explain herself.

Shikoru reached over and ruffled her hair, smiling at the lack of tension in girl as she accepted the gesture. "I think I get it, Yurei-chan. You want to teach others how to be a shinobi."

Aioka didn't look like she agree with his conclusion but let it go in favor continuing with questions. "Anyway, how do I become one? Akora-sensei said something about a shinobi academy for kids. I always thought you had to be an adult to be a shinobi."

Well, that explained why the girl hadn't asked about becoming a shinobi before now. The gaps in the girls knowledge always caught him by surprise. Sometime the child knew more than he expected about a topic-the best methods for storing kunai for example-and other times she knew nothing at all.

"Normally kids start the Academy when they're eight or so, some start later at nine and all graduate no later than thirteen. Anyone older than that are usually trained as an apprentice to a jonin, and that's only in rare cases." The likelihood of Aioka getting an apprenticeship was slim to none, especially considering how large of a hurdle her literacy would be. "Frankly, Aioka-chan, you wouldn't pass the minimum requirements to enter the academy at your age or current level of academics."

Determination settled over the girl's features. "I'd like to try. I'm good with chakra and I know how to fight. Otou-san made sure of that."

Shikoru gauged the girl's resolve and nodded sharply. "I'll make up a schedule for you. If you can read an entire book by yourself before the Academy starts a new semester, I'll help you enroll."

 **A:CG**

Aioka was exhausted.

It had been three months since she asked to be allowed to go to the Academy. It seemed like Shikoru-sensei had drilled her in every form of bookwork he could cram into her before the Academy started. Due to her age she would only have a year in the academy, and because of her underdeveloped education she was far behind her peers in regards to the academic side of her education. According to Shikoru-sensei, she was physically on par with the average academy graduate and very advanced in chakra usage.

Aioka shuddered in remembrance of the utter fear and anger he had directed at her when she had told him how she had been training beneath the nose of her evening watcher. Apparently, letting her chakra deplete was a really stupid thing to do—it was also something she had been doing since she was six, at her otou-san direction. The nuke-nin would have her deplete herself on a monthly basis with the aim of increasing her reserves, giving her the ultimate goal of learning the Kage Bunshin.

Which she had obtained when she was ten, the same year she left her birth village for good.. She could make a single kage bunshin but it took far too much chakra for her to use for anything beyond a reading companion or shoji partner. Plus the memory dump after each use was almost always enough to knock her out.

Needless to say, Shikoru-sensei made her promise to stop using the Kage Bunshin until her reserves were larger and had taught her how to meditate in place of chakra depletion. Meditation was capable of increasing reserves, but it was much gentler on the body. The Nara had also praised her for being able to trick her guards.

The morning of the placement test, Aioka felt butterflies in her stomach. She didn't really understand her nervousness though and couldn't help but hug Shikoru-sensei when he met her outside the academy.

"Nervous?" the Nara murmured, loosely holding the girl and trying to hold back his joy at the physical display. The girl was hesitant with physical forms of affection aside from the brief head or shoulder pats he gave her.

Face hidden in the man stomach, Aioka nodded and muttered about ridiculousness. "Can we go to Ichika-nee's when I get out?" she asked.

Shikoru smiled down at the girl. "Absolutely. Chin up, Yurei-chan."

"Hai, sensei."

With that, she turned and trotted into the academy.

After telling the instructor that she was there for a placement test, Aioka found herself sitting in a classroom full of kids several years younger than her. It made her a little self conscious, but she smiled at the children who were bold enough to question her presence.

For ten minutes she listened to the children boast about this and that with a level of attentiveness that had them preening. When the sensei came in, he blinked at her, but didn't question her presence as he began to do the roll call. When her name came up she lightly flared her chakra in acknowledgement. At his glance, she verbalised her acknowledgement. Apparently the role call wasn't just for him, but so the other kids could identify each other.

After that, the sensei—whose name was Kisuko Yugii—gave a welcome speech and an explanation of the rules of the test.

When they were told to begin, Aioka found herself grimacing at the amount of reading there was. She could do the basic math easily enough but for the next hour she struggled to read the questions. When the time was up Aioka had barely made it through half the questions. She knew she had gotten the ones she had answered correct but her slow reading skills had cost her.

Taking a deep breath, Aioka raised her hand.

"Yes, Aioka-chan?"

Yugii had been watching the older girl off and on the whole hour and had seen her slow progress. From what he could make out, she had answered less than the needed amount to be placed in the graduating class.

"May I take this test orally? I'm still learning how to read."

Snickers broke out across the room and Yugii was impressed that the girl just smiled and shared the younger kids amusement. It impressed the academy instructor that the twelve year old was capable of shrugging off the embarrassment she had to be feeling—getting laughed at by kids almost half her age couldn't be pleasant.

"When did you start learning to read?"

"Just over five months ago, sensei."

Yugii blinked once, twice. That wasn't expected.

"Very well. We will do it after the physical assessments. Alright class follow me outside."

Aioka let out a relieved sigh and helped herd the excited kids after the sensei. For the next three hours, the strength, endurance, and speed of each child was tested via spars, obstacle courses, and races. As the oldest, Aioka's tests were done last so she could be accurately assessed.

Her spar had been against one of the instructors. She had knocked the man out of the ring in five seconds the first time. The instructors were stunned at first but had her go again. Yugii-sensei called a halt after two minutes, satisfied with what he had seen. Next they were all tested for chakra control via the leaf sticking exercises which Aioka completed with ease.

After the other kids were dismissed Yugii-sensei gave Aioka the written test orally and wrote her answers down for her. Whether or not she did well the man didn't say, but Aioka could tell he was impressed. Chakra signatures told much.

Stepping outside, copper eyes shot to her favorite chunin, who was hiding in a tree, a grin spreading across her face as she ran to the tree and clambered up it. "Hi!"

Shikoru opened an eye, sleep fogging his gaze. "Ready?" he asked as he sat up and rolled his shoulders.

The girl hummed in agreement.

"Aside from the written test it was really easy. Yugii-sensei was kind enough to give me the test orally after the physical assessments," she informed him, dropping from the tree after him. "Is it unusual for kids my age to know how to manipulate chakra?"

"Hai, generally children don't learn more than the leaf sticking exercises until after they graduate."

Aioka accepted that. "I think I startled the sensei's with my taijutsu… I think I broke Odaki-sensei's nose…"

Shikoru let out a strangled laugh. "Yurei-chan, your taijutsu scares me and I've never spared you."

The girl's taijutsu was absolutely brutal; it had been formed from necessity. It gave no warning about any movement. She could redirect, evade, and destroy her opponent from any direction, all from a flat-footed stance. It relied heavily on stamina and speed which, surprisingly, Aioka had in spades.

The two continued winding through the streets, talking about Aioka's plans for her time in the academy and after. The biggest obstacles the girl would face were her illiteracy and her lack of understanding social norms. She would make several embarrassing etiquette blunders before the year was up.


	4. 003 Graduation

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

Beta-ed by LillianAris

* * *

 _I made it._

The thought was echoed in many variations by the children who made up Aioka's graduating class.

For many, in the last year, they bled more than they ever had, worked harder than they ever thought they could, and endured more than they could have ever imagined.

While the blood Aioka had lost was not the most she had shed, the tears she cried were. The physical exertion? Nothing compared to the emotional. She endured the year as she had everything else in her life: with determination and eyes wide open, searching for understanding.

From day one Aioka had known she would be at a disadvantage to her year mates. How could she not be when she hadn't even known how to properly introduce herself until a month after her twelfth birthday? Having to learn manners in a sink-or-swim kind of fashion was the most confusing and humbling experience she had ever endured. Days and weeks of humiliation were not her idea of fun, nor was getting laughed at by her peers and scolded by her instructors—something which was often done publicly—for her lack of manners. It had been hard for Aioka to not give into bitterness over how she had been treated, and it was something she continued to struggle with. However, she had persevered and hadn't allowed the antagonizing to ruin her. Yes, her manners had been lacking, but she was an excellent student and held a comfortable rank in the middle of her year.

Aioka straitened in her seat when she sensed one of the exam proctors moving to enter the classroom she and the others were in. Her classmates followed suit when the man entered. The final test of the day, the final obstacle that stood between them and their hitai-ate, was the ninjutsu test of which Ryuko-sensei would administer.

He waited for everyone to quiet down before speaking, his bland tone and blank gaze at odds with the smile on his lips. "This test will be done in alphabetical order and by surname. When your name is called you will go through the door behind me and do as the exam proctors say."

Aioka sighed and made herself comfortable—her turn wouldn't be for a while.

"Aburame Mikomi."

Aioka caught the quiet girl's eye and flashed her an encouraging smile as she stood. The Aburame didn't seem to acknowledge the gesture but Aioka's smile widened a bit when a beetle landed on her desk for a moment before flying off again.

Aburame Mikomi was one of the people Aioka had befriended in the previous year. In spite of the holes in her education, Aioka had taken classmates under her wing when she noticed them struggling with aspects of their schooling that she could help with.

Time seemed to both drag and fly as name after name was called. With each name Aioka tried to give what encouragement she could. Some, like most of the Hyuuga and Uchiha, replied with sneers or silence, but most welcomed the gesture.

As each person passed through the door, Aioka watched what went on with her chakra sense, a smile stretching across her lips as she noted each of her friends passing with ease. As they should, she thought, given that she had all but driven each of them to exhaustion via chakra control exercises and practicing what jutsu were available for Academy Students.

When her name was called Aioka filled her lungs, tasting the nerves and anticipation in the air around her, and exhaled as she stood.

"Good luck, senpai."

Aioka smiled toward the last of her group, Taketori Ketsu. "Thanks, Ketsu-san. I'll see you on the other side, neh?"

The boy bobbed a nod, his solemn eyes a tad warmer than usual.

As she headed for the door, Aioka couldn't help the faint trembling in her hands. This was it, this was the final step before becoming a genin.

"Shojikina Aioka, overall rank: 28. Welcome to your graduation exam."

"Thank you sensei," she replied, bowing to the chunin before her.

Roma-sensei from history sat to the right of Mai-sensei from kunoichi classes and to her left was Ryuko-sensei from taijutsu. None taught ninjutsu and gave Aioka no clue as to which jutsu they would have her perform. There had been no particular pattern for those who had gone before her; Aioka had been looking for one.

Mai-sensei smiled, folding her hands before her, her right index on top of the left while both thumbs were pressed together. Aioka immediately checked for genjutsu and shifted into a posture that demonstrated demure humility—it seemed there was an extra test on kunoichi skills, alongside the rest of the jutsu exam.

Mai-sensei's smile didn't change but Aioka felt her signature ripple in approval. "You will be tested on three different jutsus. Perform them as quickly as you can. _Bunshin no jutsu._ "

Aioka reacted and flew through the seals, murmuring the name of the jutsu. As the smoke started to fade, Aioka saw a flash of movement. Copper eyes flew wide as Aioka dodged Roma-sensei's reaching hands but found herself bound hand and foot before she could draw her kunai.

" _Nawanuke no jutsu_ ," Roma-sensei barked.

Aioka grimaced. She didn't know that one. She had read about it but hadn't thought to learn it—it was a good thing she knew how to get out of the knots without it.

Applying chakra to reinforce her arms and legs, Aioka snapped her bonds and rolled out of reach.

" _Kawarimi no jutsu_."

Aioka's fingers twisted through the three seals required for the jutsu. She rolled left, managing to evade Ryuko-sensei's thrown pen—though to her eyes it looked like a senbon—and put some distance between herself and Roma-sensei..

Nerves on end, Aioka fell back on her taijutsu. Her body relaxed and her eyes sharpened as she regarded her three sensei. _That_ was not what had been done with the students before her.

"Well done, Aioka, Genin of Konohagakure."

Aioka waited three rapid heart beats before her muscles eased, beaming at the praise from Mai-sensei. "I passed?"

The three sensei's smiled at her joyful inquiry. "You did," Roma-sensei reaffirmed.

Ryuko-sensei produced a hitai-ate and held it out to her in both hands. "Take this symbol of loyalty to Konohagakure and wear it with pride. Welcome, Shojikina Aioka, to Konoha's shinobi ranks."

Pushing back her distrust of the man, Aioka held out both hands, palms up, and bowed as Ryuko placed the hitai-ate into her waiting palms. "Thank you sensei. I will wear this symbol with the reverence and pride it deserves."

Aioka straightened and backed up a step with an impish smile. She had been waiting to say those words since she had first read them. Judging by the bemusement in the faces of the sensei, they did not recognize the words the Nidaime had spoke upon accepting the Hokage hat. Her hitai-ate was no Kage hat but she couldn't pass up the chance to quote her favorite Hokage.

"Your Jonin instructor will be announced next week at ten. Enjoy your break, Aioka-chan," Mai-sensei said.

Aioka thanked each of her sensei for all they taught her before bowing once more and trotted out of the Academy to join her friends to wait for the last of their group to finish.

 **A:CG**

It had been just over a year and a half since Aioka had arrived in Konoha and two days since graduation.

Despite all the tears and heartache the Academy had caused her, Aioka wouldn't trade the experience for anything.

Scattered around her in the abandoned training field Shikoru-sensei had shown her were ten other children. Ten students and friends who had given her the resolve to survive the Academy when Shikoru-sensei wasn't around to support her.

Even though they had graduated, none of them wanted to give up their time together. In a few days they would be divided into teams and would be unlikely to have time to train together like this for a long time.

Aioka looked up from practicing her hand seals and joined the others in calling their congratulations and praise when one of the boys crowed his success.

Eguchi Idate had been trying to do the leaf sticking exercise while doing a kata and had managed to complete the kata without dropping his leaf for the first time. Idate was one of the last civilians to join Aioka's group while Metsuei Toko had been the first.

Toko had been assigned to an Uchiha during the first taijutsu class Aioka had participated in and had broken down in tears after the spar. Aioka had been infuriated; it was obvious the girl hadn't had a hope against the clan kid and should never have been humiliated like that. Weren't sensei suppose to build their students up, not destroy them? Aioka had caught the girl after school and offered to help. During their first meeting Aioka quickly discovered several holes in the girl's education-mainly in regards to nutrition-and had set about correcting them. Within two months Aioka found herself leading a study group slash boot camp of three civilians and two Kohaku clan kids.

The Kohaku clan was small and lived closer to Amegakure than Konoha, but since they live in Hi no kuni they sent their children to serve in Konoha. Kohaku Soba and Cho had attached themselves to Aioka-for whatever reason-shortly after she had taken Toko under her wing. The two cousins helped Aioka coach her civilian friends in sparring and chakra control, and taught Aioka and the others how shinobi etiquette differed from civilian etiquette. Something Aioka thought should be taught in the Academy.

By the halfway point of the Academy year the group grew to include two more civilians, an Aburame, a Kurama, and an outcast from the Taketori clan.

Shikoru-sensei had laughed when he found out about her group and teased her about secretly wanting to be an Academy Sensei instead of a regular shinobi.

Aioka still didn't have to words to express what she really wanted as a shinobi-all she knew was that she would not be satisfied with being an Academy sensei. Maybe a Jonin-sensei? They saw a more complete product than an Academy-sensei. She liked the thought of that much better.

Shaking off her musing, Aioka slapped Idate on the shoulder. "Excellent. Do that two more times and then you can call it quits for the day."

Idate slumped and pouted. "Sempai, can't you just be happy for me for a little longer before inflicting more pain upon my poor, poor coils?"

Aioka pressed her lips together in an effort to appear unsympathetic, but her grin slipped out in the face of the boy's dramatics and the laughter of the rest of her friends. "No pain, no gain, my friend," she laughed.

"Weren't we going to read up on Jonin-sensei's today?" Idate asked hopefully.

Aioka sighed fondly. "You really don't want to try again do you?"

Idate rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I want to quit on a high note. I don't think I'll be able to do much more with my chakra today, sempai."

Aioka took stock of her friend's appearance and mentally kicked herself for not noticing how tired he really was. The boy's posture was all but drooping with fatigue. A glance at the others showed that they weren't too far behind.

"Let's cool down and meet at the Library in," Aioka glanced at the sky for reference, "an hour. Will that work for everyone?"

A chorus of 'Hai, Sempai' answered her.

"Would you like to get some yakisoba with me and the cousins, sempai?"

Aioka grinned at Idate as she stretched her shoulders. "I've spent my allowance for this week already, maybe next week?"

The boy waved it off and glanced at the Kohaku boys for assurance. "We can cover you, right guys?"

Soba shrugged, leaning left in a lotus stretch. "Fine by me."

"Same," Cho affirmed, mirroring his cousin.

"I'll pay you back later then." she agreed.

Idate rolled his eyes, as he too stretched his shoulders. "It's a gift, Aioka-sempai. Friends do that sometimes and don't expect you to pay them back. Besides," he grinned, "you get us discounts at Yoku's bbq more often than I can count. I think that more than makes up for the occasional free meal we offer you."

Aioka flushed at the hardy agreement from the rest of her friends. She hadn't realized taking them to Ichika's restaurant would endebt her friends to her.

"If you're sure then."

Once their cool down routine was finished the eleven friends broke up for lunch, each heading in different directions individually or in groups.

Falling in step with Cho, Aioka listened to her friends banter as she watched the people they passed, absently playing a game of 'match the signature to a face' in her mind.

Aioka was proud to say she could match roughly half the signatures to faces, some signatures she recognized but had no face to give, others she knew but did not recognize the face they were wearing. She was pretty sure that boy walking a dog and carrying groceries usually had a scarf and was not a civilian.

But she supposed a lot of shinobi prefered to use henge when they needed to go among the civilians. Most civilians either stared too long or tried to talk to any obviously off duty shinobi. Both actions seemed to make shinobi uncomfortable for whatever reason.

"Ne, Cho-san. Why do most clan shinobi get uncomfortable when civilians try to talk to them?"

Cho followed Aioka's gaze to a wealthy merchant who was attempting to talk up a Hyuuga chunin for one reason or another. As far as Cho could tell, the Hyuuga didn't seem to care that the man was talking to him.

"I guess they get uncomfortable because most civilians try to use them, rather than genuinely try to get to know them."

"Why?"

Cho huffed in amusement. Aioka was curious about everything. "Most of the time, civilians try to curry favor with big clans in hopes of marrying in their daughters or gaining some kind of business. I know my tou-san complained about it a lot whenever he got back from going into town."

"But, Ryukoi-san complains that shinobi don't want people to get to know them."

"Who?"

Copper eyes rolled. "Ryukoi-san, the clerk at the pottery shop?"

Cho blinked and snorted. "Sempai, not everyone memorizes names like you do. And," he continued before the girl could respond, "most shinobi won't give out personal information to random people on the street. Information like where they live, who their family is, and what their favorite meal is, can be used against them at any point in time."

Realization dawned. "Oh, it's not so much that shinobi don't trust civilians but that they don't trust who can overhear?"

Cho grimaced and raised his hand with a shrug. "Sort of. I've never really thought about it, sempai."

Aioka huffed. "Well, it's a little annoying to watch how civilians and shinobi tip-toe around each other in the market. It's not like they're enemies or anything."

"They may not be enemies, sempai, but civilians act like shinobi are dangerous even if those shinobi belong to the same village," Soba piped, walking backwards a few steps to meet Aioka's curious gaze.

Aioka smirked when the other Kohaku shinobi tripped and staggered to catch his balance. "Has it always been like that?"

Soba cleared his throat and straightened his hitai-ate from its new lopsided position around his neck. Aioka wasn't entirely sure how it had slipped from his forehead.

"Don't you remember the Warring Clans Era history?"

"Soba, that was in second year." Idate reminded, flashing Aioka a guilty look.

When Soba offered an embarrassed apology, Aioka waved it off dismissively. For some reason her friends always got awkward when they brought up the academy years she missed. "I've read a bit but I had to focus on the founding history versus the Warring Clans."

"Civilians weren't protected like they are now. Back then, shinobi would destroy whole civilian villages simply to deny other clans those villages' resources. Nuke-nin, or regular shinobi, sometimes still do it just because they can or if something triggers a mental break down." Cho explained, pleased to be the one offering Aioka new information, even if the information wasn't very pleasant.

The four turned into the Yakisoba stand and stood in line.

"So that mentality is carried into shinobi villages?"

Cho and Soba nodded while Idate listened along with Aioka. "Yeah. Civilians who live in Konoha are the most well protected compared to the other hidden villages, from what tou-san has said."

Aioka was about to ask another question when the person in front of them spoke up. "That's very true. I lived in Takigakure when I was a boy and I remember their shinobi blatantly stealing from the local vendors."

Aioka looked up at the man and smiled. She knew this man's signature. He lived with his wife and two daughters above the eastern dango shop. "That doesn't happen here?"

The man shrugged. "Not as often and not usually on purpose."

"How does someone accidentally steal?" Idate asked curiously, stepping forward with his friends as the lined moved.

"I run a dango shop and sometimes, shinobi and kunoichi are summoned before they can pay their bills. They usually pay the next time they come in when I include their last ticket."

Aioka frowned, thinking about shinobi using henges. "Do any make a fuss about it?"

The shopkeeper glanced down at her specutavely. "Rarely. What brought on the topic any way?"

Aioka's smile became a bit wry. "I joined the Academy late, so I missed a lot of history and other stuff. I was asking my friends why clan shinobi were so uncomfortable with civilians asking questions."

The man's turn at the counter came up. He made his order then stepped aside. "Huh, I've never thought about that. Oh, and congratulations on graduating. Come by my shop some time and I'll give you four a discount."

Aioka watched the man leave with a bemused expression. "Why do people always seem to give me discounts?"

The boys laughed. "I don't know, but can you rub some of that magic discount attraction off on me?" Idate joked holding out his hand.

Aioka's bemused expression turned amused. "I don't think it works like that, Idate-san. Now, you said something about treating me to food," she smirked, pointing at the waiting vendor.

 **A:CG**

"Registration is tomorrow. Would you all like to go at the same time?"

Aioka looked up sharply, noting that she was the only one confused. "What registration, Ken-san?"

Kurama Ken rolled a shoulder, a frown pulling thoughtfully at his mouth as he took in her expression. "Ryuko-sensei told me that registration was happening tomorrow after giving me my hitai-ate."

Aioka's lip curled in displeasure when the others admitted the same thing and huffed. "I never liked him. Thanks for bring it up, Ken-san. Going together sounds good to me. What do you guys think?"

The others agreed to meet up at their usual training ground an hour before registration, which was at nine in the morning.

"What were you told, Aioka-sempai?"

Aioka glanced up from making notes on using chakra to enhance the body _._ Since she hadn't known how to perform _Nawanuke no jutsu_ for the test she figured she should learn it in case her jonin-sensei required a demonstration for whatever reason. Turned out she needn't have bothered since she had done exactly what the book was telling her to do. Apparently _Nawanuke no jutsu_ was a prelude to body augmentation. Hence her making notes on chakra enhancement to the body.

"Only that I was a Genin and to meet next week at ten for team placement." Aioka frowned and added, "I wasn't told when next week, now that I think about it."

"Today next week is what I was told," Toko offered from Aioka's side.

"Same," Cho affirmed when Aioka glanced his way.

"Okay." Aioka nodded and pushed the discrepancies between what she had not been told versus what her friends had been told out of her mind. "Has anyone found anything about how teams are arranged?"

"Teams are arranged by the Hokage with recommendations from the Academy Sensei, Sempai," Mikomi offered from her place by Ken. "Individuals with complementary skills are placed together to form the most theoretically effective cells possible."

Aioka thought about their graduating class and frowned pensively. Their class wasn't very balanced. There was an enormous gap in skill between the sixteen clan graduates and the twenty civilian graduates. Even if the teams were sorted into two civilians to one clan member teams, the teams would be lopsided. If they sorted them into clan only-civilian only teams, they would end up with powerhouses and mediocre teams.

"Thanks Mikomi-san. Team placements are going to be interesting. Do you have a preference for your teammates?" Aioka inquired.

Personally, she had been so focused on simply passing that she hadn't thought much further than graduating.

Mikomi's nose twitched as she thought. "Not particularly, sempai."

Aioka glanced to the far end of the table. "What about you Ketsu-san?"

Ketsu leaned his chin loosely on his left palm as he looked her way. "Don't care, as long as it's not a Hyuuga."

"Are you ever gonna tell us what you have against that clan, Ketsu-jijii?" Soba asked, scowling playfully at the older boy.

Ketsu's dark eyes slid lazily to Soba. "No. Chibi."

Aioka exchanged glances with Toko, both biting back grins as the two boys fell into quiet bickering. Those two rarely got through a single sentence to each other without insulting the other. It was a consistent source of amusement for them.

"What about you Toko-san?"

The civilian girl shrugged and tugged lightly at the Hitai-ate tied to her right arm. "I don't know-intelligence maybe? Mai-sensei mentioned that there's a shortage of kunoichi spies."

Aioka glanced at the book in her friend's hand. "How does botany help?"

Toko rolled her eyes fondly. "Poisons, something else I'm think about. I favor senbon and kunai and want something to compliment them."

"What about genjutsu?" Ken asked, setting his chair at the corner between the two girls. At the end where Ken had been, Soba and Ketsu's bickering had escalated to a glaring contest and creative name calling while Mikomi was making bland comments every so often, egging the two on. Neither girl blamed the boy for moving.

"I'm not very good at it," Toko admitted. "I get double vision when I cast."

Ken perked up. "Oh, that's because you're not putting out enough yin chakra."

Aioka returned her attention to her book as Ken began lecturing about the proper yin-yang ratios. Genjutsu was the one branch of shinobi arts Aioka refused to touch beyond knowing how to dispel them. It was the only class that had sent Aioka to the hospital and nothing the Academy sensei said could provoke her to attempt to get over it. Not even Shikoru could convince her.

Jotting down a title her current book referenced for how chakra augmentation affected children, Aioka excused herself to go find it.

Since enrolling into the Academy, Aioka had seen far less of her favorite chunin than she would like. He was often out of the village for missions but when he was home, he made sure to spend time with her in between courting Ichika.

Aioka smirked at the thought of the Akimichi civilian. Ichika was head over heels for Shikoru, and had been for sometime, but was growing irritated with him beating around the bush. Aioka wondered how dazed Shikoru was going to be when the woman finally demanded he marry her.

A twang of sadness brought Aioka to a stop in a little used aisle. What would happen to her once Shikoru and Ichika married? When they had a baby?

Shikoru would have better things to do with his family than spend time with her. Ichika would probably be the same. Maybe she could reconnect with them when the baby was older?

Swallowing thickly, Aioka rubbed at her eyes. "Stupidness. Ignore it Aioka, it's not happening yet." she whispered.

Blinking to make sure no more tears were going to fall, Aioka got up from where she had sat down to cry and retrieved the book she had set out for.

When she returned to her friends, Aioka let her fears go. Life would happen the way it would happen and she was not afraid.

 **A:CG**


	5. 004 A New Direction

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

Beta-ed by LillianAris

* * *

Options. Until now, Aioka hadn't thought about them. She had always assumed she would graduate and move right into a Jonin led team. Failure had never been entertained enough to create backup plans.

It wasn't fair. She had graduated from the academy, twenty-eighth in her class with only a years' worth of training under her belt. That was impressive; she knew it was, even without Shikoru-sensei and Ichika-nee telling her. But that impressiveness didn't matter in the face of a Jonin who found her and her two classmates unworthy.

Her classmates, Ryushi Kei and Yamatou Eta, could return to the Academy for remedial training...she couldn't. They were freshly twelve and could attempt as many jonin tests as they liked until they were thirteen. She was already thirteen and didn't have the privilege of leniency due to her immigrant status. She owed Konoha's coffers for everything they had provided her since she accepted citizenship. Being in the academy had offered a buffer against debt collecting; but now that it was no longer certain she would be taking missions (missions that would provide limited funds for her as Konoha took a large percentage to pay off her debt), she would be under pressure to find work to pay or else be jailed, or worse.

 _Kami, what was Shikoru going to think?_

A whine escaped her. The Nara was going to be so disappointed. He had helped her so much when he didn't have to, and she had gone and failed. What was he going to say? What was he going to do?

Aioka felt someone touching her, but her thoughts of Shikoru's reaction and being punished by Konoha for being unable to pay her debts blocked out everything else.

What would he say? Was he going to yell at her? No, Shikoru only yelled when he cared. He would probably go cold and flat like he had when one of the Immigration sensei's had neglected to teach her something. She would deserve that withdrawal, she had wasted his time.

What about the collectors? Would they imprison her? Sell her? Enslave her?

Aioka's mind went wild. Each scenario more outrageous than the other, but she was unable to recognize them as such.

Heat, followed by a sharp pinching ripped across Aioka's cheek and her head jerked to the left. Air rushed from her lungs and returned with icy relief. Why did it feel as if she hadn't been breathing?

"..id...there?...kid..out of..Kid!"

Aioka blinked, vaguely aware that something wasn't quite right, but too interested in puzzling out why her chest was heaving.

"Hey, you in there kid?"

A large warm hand rested lightly on the back of her neck, pushing her down. She obeyed the pressure mindlessly. The palm was rough but warm and...wet? Aioka blinked languidly at the dirt between her arms. Why would someone put a wet hand on her neck?

Inhaling, Aioka relished in the feel of oxygen filling her lungs before slowly releasing it and watching dust scurry from her breath.

"That's it, just breath, kid," the voice encouraged.

Who was talking? Aioka obeyed anyway while gradually becoming aware of things outside her chaotic mind.

She was kneeling on her hands and knees, her forehead not quite touching her loose fists. A career genin was next to her (she didn't know his name but she usually sensed his signature near the North gate and around the Records building) and was rubbing his thumb against the side of her neck while his palm rested on her nape.

"Are you back, kid?"

Aioka shrugged, barely a twitching of her shoulders, and continued breathing. Her mind was mostly blank right now and she didn't particularly want to return to whatever had been her previous state.

"Can you sit up for me?"

She didn't really want to.

"Come on, sit up." The voice was no longer asking.

Reluctantly, Aioka eased herself into seiza but kept her eyes on the ground. If she looked up, she would probably break down again. She inhaled, closed her eyes, and breathed out. She wasn't ready to think yet.

"What's your name?"

"Aioka."

"Do you know where you are?"

Aioka took stock of her senses but didn't lift her head and nodded.

"Words, please."

Irritation flared, her jaw twitching but she answered quietly. "Yes."

The career genin's hand moved from her nape to her shoulder. "I need you to stand up, Aioka-san."

Tears pricked at her eyes. She really didn't want to move. She really, really, didn't want to. Moving meant she would have to acknowledge, and talk about, her break down.

Shame pricked at her. She was better than this. Hadn't she learned how to avoid these situations?

Sighing heavily, she nodded and got her feet. The hand never left her shoulder.

"Good, let's get off the street shall we?"

Aioka reflexively glanced away from the ground and immediately wished she hadn't. At least thirty people were staring at her. She desperately wished she knew a Doton jutsu or two so she could have the ground swallow her whole.

A solid arm settled around her shoulders. "Come on, Aioka-san."

Aioka obeyed, letting the stranger guide her away from the worried eyes of the civilians.

"How long?" she asked.

The arm shifted and a large hand squeezed her shoulder. "I was with you for seven minutes. I don't know how long you were like that before a civilian pulled me over."

AIoka cringed. That was bad. She had thought she had gotten control over her panic attacks. Apparently not.

"Thank you," she sighed.

"Let's get some food into you," the man said after giving her shoulder another squeeze.

Aioka nodded and finally looked up. They were headed toward food district. Had she really fell apart in the market? How embarrassing.

While they walked, Aioka drifted into her usual game of Signatures and Faces. She was getting quicker at matching.

The man next to her didn't have a strong signature like the shinobi who came and went through the Hokage tower. Theirs were usually vibrant and alternated between fluid and rough. Her companion's signature was dull, not much brighter than a civilian, but calm.

Aioka almost smiled when the man lead her into Namarori's Dango. Namarori-san had made good on his promise to give her and her friends a discount when they came by.

The little bell rang brightly as they stepped in and the duo found themselves on the receiving end of a professional smile. A smile that quickly turned genuine when Namarori Dousuke recognized them.

"Saito-san, Aioka-chan, welcome!"

The newly named Saito smiled and returned the dango maker's greeting. "Hello, Dousuke-san. My usual, and whatever Aioka-san would like, please."

The dango maker studied the two of them for a moment, sharp eyes lingering on Aioka worriedly, before giving a brisque nod. "Right away, Saito-san."

Saito waited a moment when the man left without getting Aioka's order then shrugged and led the quiet girl to his favorite seat by the back wall.

"I take it Dousuke-san knows you, Aioka-san?"

Aioka settled into her seat, habitually wrapping her feet around the front legs of her chair and folding her arms along the edge of the table. "Yeah, me and my friends usually come here before we go home for the day."

A wistful smile stole across her mouth. She was going to miss that.

"I'm surprised I haven't seen you in here then. I come around most afternoons."

"Oh, we don't come in until an hour or two before closing time."

"Why's that?"

Aioka idly acknowledged that the man was probably getting more information from her than was probably safe if he were an enemy, but he was a Konoha shinobi so it didn't matter. She wouldn't be telling him anything if he weren't.

"We wanted to spend as much time together as we could before we got seperated. We graduated last week and we knew we wouldn't see much of each other after getting our Jonin-senseis, so we hung out as much as we could," she explained, taking in the way the man gave her his undivided attention. "And Namarori-san likes us so we keep coming back."

Saito smiled, crows feet becoming defined with the lifting of his mouth. "You're lucky. Dousuke-san doesn't usually like kids."

Aioka laughed, recalling the first time she and her friends had seen the dango maker snip at kids that weren't them. "I know. He won't tell us why though. I think it amuses him to hear our theories."

Saito leaned back and stretch his legs out under the table toward the wall. "Really? How did you meet him?"

Aioka rubbed her upper arm distractedly, feeling a little cold now that she was fully calm and not running on adrenaline and panic. "Last week after the graduation exam. A couple friends bought me yakisoba and Namarori-san overheard us talking about civilian-shinobi relations. He offered us discounts if we stopped by."

"Spreading lies about me, Aioka-san?"

Aioka turned a bright smile to the man of discussion. "Me? Telling lies, Namarori-san? Never!"

The silver templed man smirked as he set their orders down. "Good. Let me know if you two need anything else."

Saito watched the older man leave with a puzzled smile before turning his attention to the child across from him. "Feel up to talking now, kid?"

Aioka grimaced, she owed the man an explanation. He had helped her, after all.

"I failed my jonin-sensei's test," she stated quietly, carefully removing her dango from their skewer. Her throat tightened as a new wave of bitterness and pain washed over her. What was she going to do?

"Hey, it's alright. I failed my jonin-sensei test four times."

Aioka blinked, a tear escaping as the man's words registered, and she looked up thoughtfully. The man was a shinobi and he had failed his jonin-sensei's test. How did that work?

"How are you a shinobi then?"

The look on the man's face made Aioka cringe. "Sorry, that didn't come out right. Um…" she trailed off helplessly. How was she supposed to word her question without putting her foot in her mouth again?

Fortunately, the man seemed to understand and smiled ruefully. "I suppose the Academy sensei didn't teach about the Genin Corp?"

Aioka searched her memory for anything like that and shook her head. "Is that the same as a career genin? How is it different than a regular genin?"

She had known that there were genin who did and didn't have jonin-sensei, but she never really thought about what that meant. She guessed she supposed that career genin were just genin that had chosen to stay in the village.

Saito washed down a bite of his mitarashi dango with a sip of tea before he answered.

"The Genin Corp is for people who pass the academy exam but fail the jonin test. We do D-rank missions, an occasional C-rank, and a very rare B-rank. It's easy stuff, but very boring. However, it does allow you to be a shinobi for your village."

Hope bloomed in her chest. "Can I become one even though I'm an immigrant? I can't go back to the academy because I'm thirteen. The contract I have with Konoha states I have until I'm thirteen to graduate and after that I need to find another source of employment to pay off my debts."

Saito blinked at the rush of words and furrowed his brow. "As far as I know there isn't anything barring you from becoming a career genin. I can take you to HQ to ask, if you'd like."

"Please," she enthused, unwrapping her feet in preparation of standing.

Saito snorted as he picked up his dango. "He'll still be there after we eat. Why don't you tell me about your jonin test?"

Enthusiasm dampened, Aioka sat. "Noko Roichi tested us on punctuality and teamwork. My cell was made of civilians. I've only had a year in the academy and barely had a week's worth of academy taught team training. The other two, Ryushi Kei and Yamatou Eta, hate each other-something about one of their fathers' cheating with the other's mother or something like that. Ryushi-san was late and neither of them would work together. I was not offered an apprenticeship."

A fact that hurt more than it probably should have. The Jonin had so very obviously did not want to deal with them. There was no effort on his part to help them at all. She had done her best to make things work, but the boys dismissed her as easily as the Jonin had. The man had made his dislike of her pretty clear. Aioka suspected he was prejudiced because she was Iwa born.

"Only a year?" Saito asked, cupping his hands around his tea.

Aioka shrugged. "I turned twelve a month after I got here. I fulfilled my probation and joined the academy last september."

"What's the Genin Corp like, Saito-san?" Aioka inquired after a moment of the two finishing off their dango.

Saito sighed. "Boring, but it keeps the bills paid."

"How is it boring?"

Saito smirked at the bewilderment in the girl's voice. _Ah, to be naive again,_ he thought amusedly before motioning to a group of his fellow genin passing their window. The three were carrying groceries and consulting the grocery list. "We do chores, Aioka-san. All day, everyday, with very little change. We are looked down on by other shinobi simply because we did not have Jonin-sensei. Life as a career genin isn't very fulfilling, but again, it gets the bills paid. Which is really what you need right now."

He had been a career genin for six years now and had resigned himself to the monotony that was his job. He was a message runner, which was simultaneously the most interesting and most boring job his occupation offered. Interesting: because he never knew the urgency that would be required of him until it was given to him, and he got to meet all sorts of high ranked/famous Jonin that he otherwise wouldn't get to cross paths with. Boring: because there was more standing and waiting than there were deliveries.

"If you don't like it, why don't you become a chunin?"

Saito chuckled. "Kid, there hasn't been a career genin who has been promoted to chunin since the war. It doesn't happen."

"Why not? What stops them?"

"Teacher's for one," Saito listed, "and experience for another. You need a certain number of C-ranks, along with leadership experience, in order to advance. On top of that, you need at least three chunin or one jonin to vouch for you."

"But, why can't you teach yourself? The library is open to us. As for experience, well, why not get to know a couple of chunin and ask for their help?"

Saito snorted, amused and saddened by the girl's naivety and simplistic point of view. "It just doesn't work like that, kid. Now," he continued before the girl could continue her debate, "let me pay and I'll take you to my commander."

The girl pouted at the obvious shut down of the previous line of discussion, but followed him eagerly in any case.

To his surprise, Dousuke gave him a considerable discount.

"Don't get used to it," the prickly dango maker stated flatly and waved him off.

Bemused, Saito glanced down at the girl. She looked back at him expectantly. Apparently, Dousuke's manners weren't unusual to her.

"Right," he shook his head with a huff, "let's get you to Commander Uzashi."

 **A:CG**

Uzashi Keito sat his pen down with a hard sigh. Fifteen potential career genin needed to be written to and ten active career genin needed to be given their retirement papers.

Of the fifteen, Keito only expected three or four to accept. Every time after a graduation happened, the bulk of the failures never responded to his letters of invitation. It was both a relief and frustrating that this happened. On one hand it meant less paperwork, but on the other it made it difficult to predict how much money to set aside for orientation.

The money went toward extra pay to the active career genin he tagged as teachers. Currently, he had five people on standby. If-by a minor miracle-all fifteen potentials showed up, Uzashi could put three newbees to a single teacher. If the suspected handful showed then he would put two to a teacher and return the funds to the Corp account where it could hopefully be put to good use.

Picking up the paper he had just finished signing, he double checked for errors before sealing it in an envelope and copied down the relative name and address.

"Doro-san."

The unfortunately named young man popped his head through the open doorway. "Hai, Uzashi-san?"

"This semester's invitations."

The dark skinned boy accepted the letters with a wry smile. "What's the bet this time?"

Uzashi snorted and scratched at his greying beard. "Twenty on three replies and six appearances."

The boy hummed thoughtfully. "Twenty five on four replies and five appearances."

Uzashi shrugged and held out his hand for the money. "I'm holding the pot this time."

Doro handed over the money before snatching up the letters and leaving with a jaunty wave. Huffing at the antics of his subordinate, Uzashi eyed the pile of paperwork at his elbow.

Invoices, bills, sick leave notices, and who knows what else lurked within the heap. Did he really want to be ambitious today?

Glancing toward the doorway, the commander briefly toyed with the idea of playing hooky. It had been a while since he had taken a day off.

Sighing deeply, the man reached for the pile. He really needed a secretary.

An hour of mild productivity later, Uzashi looked up when someone knocked on his door frame.

"Saito-san, what can I do for you?" he asked.

Daidoshi Saito was one of his more efficient message runners and one who gave the commander the fewest headaches.

The man smiled and gently guided in a young girl. Uzashi didn't recognize her and quickly deduced this was a freshly graduated academy student.

"Commander, this is Shojikina Aioka. Her jonin-sensei decided against taking a team and I would like to recommend her to you."

Uzashi eyebrows rose in interest. Saito generally avoided new recruits, citing they were too annoying.

Switching his gaze to the girl Uzashi was instantly struck by the determination in her gaze. The old commander hadn't seen that expression in one of his genin in...well, ever. Resignation, hopelessness, and bitterness were more the flavor of the day when dealing with failed graduates.

"Kon'nichiwa Shojikina-san," he greeted.

The girl smiled brightly. "Kon'nichiwa soutaichio Uzashi," she replied with a polite bow.

Uzashi chuckled. "Uzashi-san is fine, Shojikina-san," he offered then turned a questioning look onto Saito.

"Aioka-san was unaware of the option of become a career genin and would like more information."

Uzashi hummed and motioned for the two to sit. "Is you shift over Saito-san?"

"Hai."

Uzashi opened a drawer and pulled out a leaflet that he generally sent with his letters of invitation to those who failed their jonin test. Pausing, he mentally reviewed the names he had written to but could not recall the girl's name being on the list. A glance confirmed the child had a hitai-ate making the man curious as to why he had not received a notice for the girl.

Shrugging the thought away, he handed over the leaflet. "The Genin Corp are essentially the janitors of Konoha. We take care of all the mundane duties that are required for a village to function, but are too menial to require a great deal of skill. Without us, Konoha would not be as pleasant a place to live in." Uzashi was pleasantly surprised to see the determine light remain in the girls eyes after that blunt information. Usually that mini speach killed off any excitement newbees had held onto. "Our tasks are mostly thankless, and sometimes degrading, but they are necessary for the continued function of the village. Civilians tend to abuse the use of D-ranks to make their lives easier. Chunin and Jonin rarely give us more than cursory respect. It's not easy, or even very pleasant, but it's mostly safe and pays the bills."

The girl's lips twitched with amusement at something as she nodded and scanned the leaflet he had handed her. It was a run down of materials she would need and things the corp would provide.

"I am an immigrant and owe Konoha a significant sum. How will that be handled with my pay?"

Uzashi replied with some bemusement at the girl's remaining enthusiasm and her rather mature inquiry. "Your bank will automatically deduct the debts' share from each paycheck until it's paid off."

The girl nodded and pointed at a few things on the leaflet. "How many uniforms are provided by the corp and may I modify them?"

Uzuashi glanced at Saito and rolled his eyes at the younger man's smug smile. Cheeky brat. He would start a wager with the man over how long the girl's attitude stayed up beat once she was gone for the day.

"Four, and so long as you wear the vest and your hitai-ate while on duty, nobody really cares what you wear."

An hour later he sent the girl off with the necessary forms and instructions to return tomorrow morning.

"Where did you find that happy pipsqueak?" Uzashi demanded incredulously once the girl was well and truly out of earshot.

Saito grimaced. "In the market having a mental break down. A civilian pulled me over." At the commander's frown Saito continued. "It took me seven minutes to break her out of it and another ten before she was calm enough to talk. The kid's only had a year of training at the Academy, is an immigrant, and managed to graduate. That takes some talent. I figured she would do well as your apprentice."

Uzashi frowned. Saito had good instincts about where people would do best after spending some time with them. How the man did it was a mystery that Uzashi couldn't talk out of him.

"I could use a secretary," he said after a moment and eyeing the hodge podge of paper stack on his desk.

Saito snort. "Right, well," the message runner stood and stretched, "I'm heading home. See you in the morning, commander."

Uzashi watched his comrade leave, idly tapping his pen. This was probably the most interesting thing to happen this year. Shrugging, he turned back to his paperwork and glowered at the next leaf of paper.

"I've been looking for you, you stupid scrap," he snarked at the request form he had been meaning to send to the supplies department for replacement vests for his older genin.

"I really need a secretary."

 **A:CG**


	6. 005 Start of a Vision

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

 **A/N** : I'm sorry for the delay everyone =/ and thank you for your patience.

When I originally completed this chapter I was happy with it, but looking at it again...it's rough. Like my original draft rough. I've attempted to rewrite this chapter four or five times since my last up-date before giving up.

This chapter will likely turn into two or three more chapters eventually, but for now I'm going to leave it as is. Feel free to nit-pick.

Uncertain

* * *

Aioka sat patiently with five of her former classmates; both pleased and disappointed that no one from her group of friends were with her.

After leaving the Genin Corp HQ yesterday, Aioka had immediately sought out her friends. Fortunately, no one else had been failed.

Toko's team had been failed, but she had been recommended for a place in Intelligence-much to the civilians' delight.

Ken and the Kohaku cousins had been placed on the same team with a Jonin who specialized in long range support.

Eguchi Idate, Yugami Kyosaku, and Shedo Ami had been placed on a team and had passed their Jonin test. Their Jonin was a kunoichi who specialized guarding wealthy civilians. Aioka was curious as to how the trio would do—it wasn't often that an all civilian born team was formed.

Taketori Ketsu, much to his displeasure, was placed on a team with a Hyuuga and an Inuzuka with a Hyuuga Jonin who specialized in close combat and intel. Aioka had offered her condolences and encouragement to the older boy. No one was sure why the stoic boy hate Hyuuga, just that he did.

Aburame Mikomi had been place with an Uchiha and an Inuzuka, with an Inuzuka Jonin sensei who would be training them for tracking and support.

Everyone had been outraged that she had failed, which warmed her heart but had forced her to run herd on the brewing retaliation before her friends did something stupid. Eventually she calmed them by stating she was looking forward to being a career genin. They had all groaned when they found out she would have considerable free time to raid the library and improve. She expected monthly meetings when they were in village, too.

Listening to the murmuring of the people around her, Aioka compared the stories being shared about their Jonin tests. Not one was the same, and some were outrageously out of the range of skills an Academy student could hope to overcome. It didn't fail to escape her notice that everyone who had been failed had been on an all civilian team. Two of the graduates present had been Toko's teammates and, based on the whining and what she knew of them from the Academy, Aioka wasn't surprised they had been failed.

Aioka looked toward the doorway of the classroom like room they were in—sensing that the commander and three others were headed their way.

Not two minutes later the group entered the room, the three Aioka was unfamiliar with standing comfortably to one side while the commander took the front of the room.

"Welcome to the Genin Corp," the Commander began.

Aioka listened idly as the man gave the same speech she had heard yesterday and wondered who she would be paired up with and which of the three older career genin would be her teacher. It was pretty obvious to her that they would be put into groups of two, with one of the older genin as their teacher. But, to her surprise, the other five were split between the three while she was left with the commander.

"Saito-san recommended you to me personally. I need a secretary," the commander explained when she looked at him inquiringly. "Come."

For the rest of the day, Aioka shadowed the commander. Watching and listening as he talked to his subordinates about schedules, squabbles between genin, and something about betting pools. Eventually they returned to his office-a dim, dusty, disorganized pit-and he had her sort through papers and put them into relating piles. Invoices with invoices, bills with bills etc. etc.

The sorting lasted through the next day and then the man had her organize them by date, which took just as long and made her wonder why he hadn't had her do it in the first place. Eventually she asked about running D-ranks.

"You'll start those next week. Every first and third week you will work with me and on the second and fourth week you'll run missions," he said, running a finger down paper he was reading.

"What about training?" she asked.

The commander paused and gave her a look she couldn't quite describe. "The Corp train before missions. Mostly basic strength exercises, katas, and chakra control. Beyond that nothing is required."

Aioka stared for a moment. "That's…" she trailed off, deeming the verity of words she wanted to use as inappropriate before settling on the most descriptive. "That's disappointing."

The commander's lips quirked in a parody of a smile. "You may train if you wish, just know it isn't required. Some of the genin who run C-ranks train a couple times a week."

Aioka nodded, determined to look into that and deciding she would start coming early and train in the main hall.

The HQ was not what she had expected. For one, it was smack dab in the middle of the civilian district, straddling between the red light district and the manufacturing district. It was a shady area but Aioka had been in far less hospitable places and been fine.

The building itself was made mostly of stones and mortar, both long walls were stone while the short walls- and the walls that made up the rooms and halls of the interior- were made of wood and brick. The bulk of the building was open space with numbers 1-100 carved into the long walls and spaces at resembled sparring circles marked beneath each number. The area was unused, judging by the layers of dust occupying the space, and Aioka planned to make use of it. From what she had seen, the HQ served as a lounge area and a place to complain. Besides the commanders paperwork, nothing productive seemed to happen.

Idleness was not something Aioka tolerated so, once she had a feel for her responsibilities, she began adding things to her schedule.

The commander did not expect her to come in until eight, so she trained in the great hall from six to seven forty five. She worked from eight to four with the commander-running errands or sorting paperwork-then spent the remainder of her day in the library. On the days she did missions she tried to include ways of applying her training,

It wasn't long before discontent settled and she made plans to change.

 **A:CG**

"Shikoru-sensei, welcome home!"

Nara Shikoru smiled fondly at the pleased exclamation. "Hello, Yurei-chan," he returned.

Aioka grinned at the nickname and stepped aside so the chunin could enter her home.

Shikoru removed his shoes and slipped on his house shoes while Aioka shut the door and moved toward the kitchen. A wave of nostalgia stole over the man as he stood up right and accept Aioka's offer of tea. It wasn't too long ago that this same girl was bewildered in the face of such normalcies. He almost missed the wide eyed ignorance the girl would show him as he taught her proper home etiquette and domestic skills.

Aioka had come a long way from the ignorant waif he had taken under his wing.

"How have you been, Yurei-chan?" he asked, taking in details of the child he had all but adopted.

It had been over a month since he had seen her due to a mission that had taken him outside of Hi no Kuni. It had irritated him that he would not be in village for Aioka's graduation but resigned. He knew she would pass, even with her late start.

The girl had barely been able to read when she first started the academy yet still had managed to outstrip the children who had been in the academy since they were seven or eight. It still astounded the Nara how the child had risen from bottom of her class to somewhere in the middle in less than a year. He hoped her Jonin-sensei did right by her; she was a gold mine of potential.

"Busy. I'm glad you caught me on my day off, I have a _lot_ to tell you."

Shikoru accepted his cup, happy to smell oolong drifting in the steam. "I have all day."

The delighted smile he was treated to warmed his soul. Kami, he loved this girl.

The thought wasn't a new one, nor even a surprising one for the Nara. He had accepted his paternal feeling for the kid months ago. If things went the way he wanted them to, he would be calling the copper eyed girl his daughter before the year was up.

"I have some bad news, good news, and am in need of your opinion."

That sounded ominous. Shikoru settled more fully into the kitchen chair and gazed patiently at her.

Aioka's smile gained a nervous edge as she dropped her gaze to his hands. "I failed my Jonin-test and am now in the genin corp."

Shikoru felt a flash of anger toward the unknown Jonin. Even if the girl's teammates had failed, the Jonin should have at least seen the girl's potential and recommended her to another Jonin for apprenticeship. It was a very rare individual who could learn at the rate that Aioka did and Konoha was in dire need for more quality shinobi.

"The genin corp, huh?" he smiled softly when she looked up. "How do you like it?"

Relief flashed over the girl's face, quickly follow by sheepish apology for doubting him. Shikoru smirked and sipped his tea. Aioka's fear of rejection due to failure was deeply rooted and was something she would battle for the rest of her life. Anyone who became close to her would have to keep in mind that she trusted them but could not stop the reaction any more than she could stop hiding her signature. She could remember to unveil her signature when she was paying attention but it was impossible for her to be alert at all times and so would slip.

"It's not what I expected," Aioka admitted, tracing the handle of her cup with her thumb. "I really enjoy the missions, much to my coworkers disgust." Shikoru snorted at that and shared an amused smile with the girl.

"I'm meeting a lot of people." Aioka continued. "Did you know most of the D-ranks commissioned by old civilian widows are actually in their deceased spouse's wills'?"

Shikoru sat back and listened as the girl told him what she was learning about the civilians she and the corp served on a daily basis. The more he listened the more confounded he felt.

Aioka had only been a career genin for roughly two weeks, yet she already knew far more details about the individuals she had come into contact with than should be possible. Not only was the girl telling him the names of her clients, she made passing mention of their families, likes, dislikes, ages, and sometimes their origins.

Shikoru had to lift a hand to stop the flood of information after the genin began to tell him how she had tipped the Uchiha police about spies from Suna masquerading as cloth merchants.

"Aioka-chan, how do you know all of this?" he questioned.

AIoka blinked and frowned. "I ask most of the time."

"And they just tell you?" Shikoru inquired slowly, not quite disbelieving but still skeptical. He had seen the girl get complete strangers talking about themselves in a few minutes; but the information she was telling him was far more personal than mere acquaintances would share.

Aioka frown smoothed to something like concern. "Well, yeah. I mean, they tell me general things, like their names and sometimes that of their family. But most of the time I piece it together. I don't think Doutachi-san would appreciate that I know he loves to recite poetry to his pet finches."

Shikoru gave a startled laugh. "You are wasted as a career genin, Yurei-chan. If Intelligence knew of you they would be frothing at the mouth to get a hold of you. It's not just anyone who can get information like you can."

Aioka grimaced. "No thanks. I'd rather protect the village from the inside."

Well, that's a different way of looking at being a career genin. Generally, when the topic of the Genin Corp came up it was spoken with pity or dismissal. The Genin Corp was where individuals who didn't have the chakra capacity to become anything worthwhile went. It was primarily made up of civilian born shinobi, but every once and a while a clan born shinobi was sorted there due to a lack of talent or small reserves. More often than not, those clan born individuals were quietly dismissed from their clan. It was petty in the Nara's opinion but none of his business.

"That's an interesting thought. How would doing chores protect the village?" The question, while trite, was meant to prompt critical thinking. The assessing look he found himself receiving was surprising.

"Did you know the Genin Corp has a Commander?"

 _What?_ The left field comment throwing him momentarily off balance.

"I didn't." He couldn't recall ever hearing or reading about a Genin Commander.

The girl hmm-ed, unsurprised by his reply. "The position isn't much more than an empty title right now. From what I've read, the Genin Commander was intended to have the same authority as a Chunin but it was never really developed beyond what it is today."

That was interesting. "Where did you read this?"

"Commander Uzashi's office. I offered to organize it for him a few days ago. There had to be thirty pounds of dust and dirt in that room."

Shikoru quirked a distracted smile at the displeasure in her voice. The girl had a deep dislike for dirty living and working quarters.

The girl flashed a smile at his vague amusement. "Anyway, according to the original charter the Nidaime wanted the Corp to be the villages' internal security. At the moment we are doing the actions of what the charter intended but not the spirit of it. From what I understand of the charter, Tobirama-sama wanted to use the Corp as monitors, much like the Uchiha Police but on a more subvert level. The Corp was meant to be an asset to the Police, a silent shadow you could say. The Police would deal with actual problems while the Corp would be the informants."

Shikoru wasn't sure how to take this news. "Do you have the Charter?"

Aioka nodded and got up from the table. "I made a copy. I don't think the Commander has ever seen it before; when I asked him about it he was pretty confused and dismissive." Trotting to and from her bedroom, the teen gave a neat handwritten copy of the Genin Corp Charter.

It said exactly what Aioka had told him, even laid out exact details and protocols for everything from the Corps response to invasion to domestic violence.

"You want to become Genin Commander and put this charter into action." Shikoru couldn't help but state to obvious, quite incredulous about it all.

Aioka bobbed a nod. "Yes. I think I would do really well. What do you think? I know it's an obscure position but it's a good one. Can you imagine how much more secure the village would be if this happened?"

Shikoru could, but he also saw how it would shift a great deal of power to a division of the shinobi ranks that had never had any power before and how it could cause a lot of political upheaval.

Shikoru did not have any political pull, even within his clan, but he knew enough about politics to know Aioka did not have enough clout to even think about trying this. He said so.

Eagerness fell away to seriousness. "I don't plan on asking, Shikoru-san. I am a shinobi of Konohagakure and I have made my oaths to protect it to the best of my ability. I think for my village, not just follow orders. I know I would never get approval for this. The council, civilian and shinobi alike, would not want to grant the Corp that kind of influence. I would like your input though, if you're okay with it that is." The ending statement was said with vulnerable uncertainty. That relieved any building agitation. The value the girl had in his opinion was good. Hopefully he would be able to keep her from doing something massively stupid.

"I'll hear what you have to say, Aioka-chan; but I want you to know: you sound very much like you want to take over the village."

Aioka blinked and laughed. "I am Konoha's, Shikoru-sensei. I do not want Konoha to be mine."

Shikoru finally relaxed at that proclamation. Child geniuses were always dicey; too many ways they could go sour. The Nara clan knew this better than most.

"I think this topic is done for today. I need to think," he said, smiling to reassure the girl that he wasn't displeased with what she had told him.

Aioka agreed and gathered up their cups. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

With a firm thought, the Nara pushed Aioka's topic to the back of his mind and smiled. "Ichika-chan agreed to marry me."

Laughing the Nara caught Aioka when the girl threw herself at him with a delighted squeal. She had been pestering him to ask the Akimichi civilian for months.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes! I knew she would!" the girl crowed, grinning up at him from hugging his waist.

Shikoru grinned and ruffled her hair affectionately. "We marry next year. Would you like to be there?"

Tears gathered in copper eyes. "I'd love that, Shikoru-san."

 **A:CG**

After Shikoru announced their engagement, he and Ichika sat Aioka down and offered to adopt her. Aioka declined official adoption after several days of thought, but was pleased to call them otou-san and kaa-chan. Her reasoning was she wanted to make something of herself without a clans backing-the knowing look in Shikoru's eyes told Aioka he knew there was more to it than that. If-when-her plans for the Genin Corp were discovered, she wanted as little backlash on the people she loved.

For the next year, Aioka began reaching out to other genin the same way she had in the academy. An offer of help here, a willing ear there, and soon Aioka had a good group of genin whom she was training with and encouraging to explore and refine their talents.

Six months into teaching them, Aioka began encouraging them to reach out and teach others. For a few she made it a direct challenge, wanting to see how they would do as leaders.

When she wasn't teaching/training, Aioka was reviewing the duties of the Genin Corp with her father. What she found was that the duties of the Corp could be broken into three basic categories she liked to call: Runner, Handyman, and Clerk.

Runners were the messenger stationed at every shinobi operated building.

Handymen were labourers and c-rank runners.

Clerks were the paper pushers, number crunchers, and intellectuals.

The Handymen could be broken down further into what Aioka dubbed as Scouts and Trainers. Scouts were people who picked up details, random gossip, and were generally observant.

Trainers were the genin who excelled in combat situations and performed well on C-ranks.

During one of their brain storming sessions, Shikoru had asked Aioka what, exactly, did she wish to accomplish with the Corp.

Somewhat surprised her father figure hadn't figured it out, Aioka answered. "I want to protect Konoha's people to the best of my ability. I want the make the corp my eyes, ears, and hands-an extension of myself. Before I can do that, I need to shape the corp to my will."

Aioka didn't understood the worry in her father's eyes at her statement-a worry that didn't leave until weeks later when Mikomi bluntly inquired if Aioka was planning on becoming Hokage someday.

Aioka grimaced. "No, not a snow storms chance in summer," she refuted emphatically. "I like teaching. In the Corp I can push people to become better individually and as a whole. I can personally oversee their progress or hand it off to another. As Hokage I would be stuck behind a desk and relying on ink and parchment to tell me what is going on in the village. The Genin Commander has no such restrictions. I can delegate a great deal more than a Hokage can, leaving me free to help whom I choose."

"So you aren't trying to rip the proverbial rug out from the Hokage's feet?" Shikoru asked mildly.

Aioka frowned at her father. "What?"

Mikomi caught the older Nara's drift and looked at her friend thoughtfully. "If you do what you plan on doing to the Genin Corp, Aioka-san, you will all but be taking over village security."

Aioka nodded hesitantly, still not seeing the problem. "And?"

The Aburame stared at her friend for a moment then looked at Shikoru, who had his face in his hands at the obliviousness of his daughter. "I see why you're concerned, Nara-san."

"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?" Aioka demanded.

Mikomi sighed. Her friend-and sometimes mentor-was brilliant, but oh so blind at times. "Aioka, who ever controls village security, controls the village. How do you think the Hokage is going to take what you're doing when he finds out? What about Anbu?"

Aioka figited as visions of punishment raced through her mind. She knew exactly what could happen if things were discovered too early or weren't taken in the spirit she intended. "But, I just want the civilians safe. Isn't that what we're supposed to do as shinobi?"

Mikomi's flat stare made Aioka cringe. Her statement was naive and she knew it.

"We are soldiers," Shikoru corrected, "we do what the Hokage tells us to do."

"Not the Genin Corp," Aioka argued. "The Nidaime's charter states that the Genin Corp is, essentially, village security. Even modern day description of the Genin Corp says so in a roundabout way."

"Show me," Shikoru prompted.

Aioka got up and pulled a book from a shelf in her living room and flipped through it before setting it before her father and her friend. " 'The Genin corp exists to serve Konoha proper and offer manpower in times of emergencies. They are to care for the village structures and its people.'" She quoted while the two read the small section in 'Descriptions of Konoha Shinobi's duties' on the Genin Corp. "There is no definition on what the 'care of the village and its people' means. I've looked through the entire library and have asked a few Uchiha officers to look into it for me and they haven't found anything either. Uzashi-san doesn't even know what that means so I've decided to use my training and take advantage of the loophole. When the time comes that I'm confronted I have every intention of being able to show complete documentation of what I've done. I may be killed but at least I'll have made Konoha safer."

After that little speal, neither doubt Aioka's dedication to Konoha's protection. Shikoru, however, began drilling her in politics and teaching her how to navigate the minefield that was the art of verbal manipulations. The girl was already a natural and he wanted to ensure that she was a master. He and Ichika were resigned to their daughter's madness and figured all they could do was give her the tools she needed to survive.


	7. 006 Transitions

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

 **A/N** : Another chapter, yay!

Hopefully this chapter, and the last, laid to rest the question on how Aioka is transitioned into the Commander position.

A few of you have questioned me about the Hokage not knowing. The main reason I'm doing that is because it was one of the main thoughts that prompted the story in the first place. I may change it later since I'm trying to make this story as realistic as I am able (or my version of realistic anyway) but for now it's what I'm going with it.

My explanation for the Hokage's behaviour in this version will be in the next chapter, so stay tuned!

Uncertain

* * *

Aioka slouched against a wall, her body deceptively relaxed and unassuming as she observed her fellow genin. Today she would receive her own team from the fresh Genin who had failed their jonin test. Many of the gathered genin were not happy, several angry, and it would be her job to calm three of them down and show them the ropes of being a career genin.

At fifteen she had gained a couple inches and put on some healthy weight. Ichika's cooking was largely helpful in the weight gain department. A couple of months ago Aioka had the displeasure of enduring her body rushing through the years of puberty she had missed due to her poor health. That was something she could have done without; having Ichika-san sit her down and explain what was happening had been more than a little embarrassing.

This semesters group was the largest batch the Corp had seen since war times. Aioka's group had only been six, this group boasted eleven sullen brats.

Instead of the classrooms previous graduates had been shown to, this group was led into the training hall. The massive area proving to be a temporary distraction from their woes. Over the two years Aioka had been serving in the Corp she had slowly been stepping up her influence over the corp. The first step had been cleaning and repairing the HQ. The training hall was actually a _training_ hall now. Equipement had been salvaged from ruined training grounds and set up under various numbers that lined the walls and genin were actually using them.

Aioka couldn't help the pride that bloomed each time she saw her hard work coming into fruition. While she couldn't say that the Corp was anywhere near where she wanted it to be, it was a far cry from the hopeless pit it had been when she first started.

A shift in the mood of the gaggle of graduates drew Aioka from her thoughts to listen to Uzashi's usual speech. Glancing at her peers, Aioka smiled encouragingly. This would be the first time they would be using the training model Aioka had created. Uzashi had been curious enough to give it a try and if it went well it would become the new normal. The three standing with her, were people Aioka had been the most effort into forming to her specifications.

Daidoshi Saito had joined Aioka's group for extra training not too long after she started and had thrived with her challenges. The man was considerably older than most of the genin in Aioka's sphere of influence at thirty years old, but because of him she had been able to reach out to others his age and help them improve. He had asked to be a teacher once he heard what was planned for this new group.

Mayuri Hana was eighteen and an excellent Scout. She enjoyed interacting with civilians and had maneuvered herself into a position where civilians were comfortable coming to her to help settle petty disputes so as to not bother the Uchiha police.

Zetsuka Ichiro was a bespeckled young man of twenty. He was firmly in the Clerk classification as he enjoyed working with files and numbers. His group would be learning how to navigate the library, archives, and hospital. It was agreed he would have a team of two due to the lack of another graduate to make a full fourth team.

"Team 23." Aioka refocused when Uzashi called her team number. "Huro Ai, Shigako Duzo, Yamaiza Naku."

Remaining by her fellow teachers, the copper eyed girl watched two boys and a girl gather under number twenty three. The three had distance between them, telling Aioka that they did not know each other; the boys kept a greater distance between the girl than between themselves. Either the girl had a bad reputation or the boys were afraid of cooties.

The girl, Huro Ai, was on the small side and had a nervous disposition. Her hair was brown, tied in a low tail, and her clothes were worn but well cared for. Both boys had black hair, one with a short tail and the other with close cut spiky hair. Short-Tail was tall and wiry while Spiky was broad and little chubby.

When the final team had found their place, Aioka nodded to her fellow sensei and headed for her team.

The three watched her approach curiously. Her once matted hair was a clean black pulled into a neat french braid, her Hitai-ate around her hips as a belt. Calm copper eyes scanned them lazily, noting that both of the boys clothing was fairly new.

"Right, I'm Shojikina Aioka, I am Team 23's Taicho; welcome to the Genin Corp."

The three stared at her. Ai with surprise and the boys with disbelief.

"You're our Taicho?" Spikey inquired skeptically. "You're our age."

Aioka lifted a shoulder, choosing to be amused rather than insulted. She was still on the short side but she was expecting to hit a growth spurt soon. Both her biological parents had been tall. "My age shouldn't matter. Now come on, it's time to eat. You three ever been to Yoku's BBQ?"

The three fresh genin trailed after her, confusion added to their already smarting pride and disappointed dreams.

"I know which of you is Huro-san; who is Shigako-san?"

Turned out Spikey was Shigako Duzo and Short-Tail was Yamaiza Naku. When they got to the restaurant, Aioka greeted the staff with easy familiarity. "Monichi-chan, is the back table available?"

The Akimichi woman smiled kindly at the four of them. "Yes. Would you like your usual Aioka-chan?"

"Please."

The four Genin sat at a semi secluded table near the back of the restaurant. It was the table Aioka and Shikoru always sat when they came here. Ai sat with Aioka while the boys sat across from them.

"Name, age, and style preference. Shigako-san, you first," Aioka commanded. Based on her students' body types she already had an idea what they would be good at but she wanted to hear what they liked to do.

The broad boy straightened, grey eyes showing his annoyance at her tone. "Shigako Duzo, thirteen, ninjitsu."

Aioka nodded, not at all surprised even though she could see him more as a Tai user. His shoulders were showing promise of being broad once he finished growing.

"Yamaiza-san."

The wiry boy had propped an elbow on the table and rested his chin in his hand. "Yamaiza Naku, twelve, ninjutsu." His tone bored and condescending; clearly not thinking much of his Taicho. He vaguely remind Aioka of Ketsu and making her wonder how the Taketori outcast was doing. She hadn't seen him in nearly a year.

"Huro Ai, eleven, I don't have a preference," the other girl spoke softly at Aioka's prompt, pinkish eyes fixed shyly on the table top.

Aioka smiled, storing questions of why the girl had chosen the Corp versus returning to the academy. Eleven was a bit young to be out of the academy.

"As I said, I'm Shojikina Aioka. You may call me Aioka-tachio, Shojikina-tachio, or simply tachio, whichever you are most comfortable with. There will be no missions or training today," she smirked at the way the boys deflated and the relief in Ai's sigh. "That is reserved for tomorrow. Today, I will be getting to know you and giving you a more in depth explanation of what the Genin Corp does."

When the trio nodded an acknowledgement, Aioka shifted into her usual position of arms resting on the edge of the table and her ankles crossing. Not the best position for reacting but it was comfy. "So who was your favorite and least favorite sensei in the academy and why?"

While her team shared their answers, Monichi dropped off Aioka's usual order of Yakisoba sampler and jasmine tea. The three ordered their meals when Aioka told them food was on her today.

As she listened and asked questions, Aioka gradually got a basic idea of who her students were as people. She was already familiar with their signatures—which ranged from calm to chaotic blue—and was glad to put faces to them since she hadn't before.

Yamaiza Naku's signature lived toward the wealthier end of the civilian district, his father owned the only motion picture theater in town while his mother worked at a tea house the Hyuuga frequented. Aioka had met both parents at one point or another.

As a person, Yamaiza was borderline arrogant with a conditioned dismissal of females. A behaviour that wasn't uncommon among civilians but wasn't something Aioka would allow to continue into the boys' shinobi life. That sort of disdain would get him into trouble with clients and regular shinobi.

Yamaiza also showed a liking for strategy games—something Aioka would encourage.

Haru Ai's signature was less familiar to Aioka but she was not surprised to discover that the younger kunoichi was an orphan. The girl was shy but not incapable of defending her opinion, which she had done when Shigako had sneered at her enjoyment of cyphers.

Shigako Duzo was from a single parent family of three. His mother had passed away two years ago due to an infection of some kind—Aioka knew this because she knew the boy's father, Shigako Toaza the butcher the Kurama clan favoured for one reason or another.

Shigako disliked any and all academics but thrived on the physical side of things. His chakra control was awful but had potential of being a decent ninjutsu user if Aioka got him started on chakra exercises and meditation.

As the meal wound down Aioka brought the trio's attention back to her and away from their reminiscing of bullies from various clans with a light flicker of her signature. She could tell the three weren't sure what drew their attention and decided to see if she could slide in chakra sensing training into the already bulging load of things she needed to teach them.

"I need to return to HQ now, but you three can order a dessert of your choice if you want to hang out some more. I'll see you three at seven in the morning in the training hall."

With that last reminder, Aioka left them alone. At the front she paid for what had already been order and asked Monichi to put any dessert her team ordered on her tab before returning to the HQ.

Stepping into the office she shared with Uzashi, Aioka laughed softly at finding the man falling asleep over what appeared to be a financial report.

"Need a nap, jiji?" Aioka teased.

Uzashi blinked blearily at her twice before groaning and rubbing an eye with the hand not holding his pen. "I need to retire," he quipped.

Aioka snorted. Uzashi was nearing fifty and should have retired decades ago but had chosen to remain commander because he couldn't find anyone he was confident in leaving the Corp to. The man had confided in her a few months ago that if she hadn't shown up he would have given the title to Saito. Aioka wondered if that was why her current Runner tachio had put her in the commander's face; so he didn't have to deal with the paperwork attached to the Commander's title.

"You can retire once I find a model that works," she parried, amused by their banter. They had been saying the same thing to each other since Aioka first proposed trying a new method of integrating new career genin into the Corp.

The commander glowered. "You practically do my job anyway, Aioka-san, you're just avoiding the paperwork."

The teen laughed as she set a file on her desk. "Maybe I'll just keep you as my secretary when the time comes. You seem to do a mighty fine job of keep on top of it."

"In your dreams! I've had more than enough of paperwork. I'm going to retire, wear fluffy slippers, and haunt tea houses and onosans."

Aioka smothered a smile as the older genin began verbally daydreaming about what he was going to do once he retired. The old koot deserved to do whatever he wanted after dealing with the Corp as long as he had. Biting her lip to keep from laughing at the more outrageous ideas the current commander was spouting, Aioka opened the file to review her plans for tomorrow.

There were a great deal of changes Aioka was trying to implement; some more radical than others. First was the type of orientation new genin received.

When Aioka joined there was no tour of the buildings she was expected to work in, there was no order to who went where for which missions, and there was no clear chain of command. These were just a few things she was going to change.

Tomorrow each of the new genin were going to be given a second 'graduation' exam to give Aioka and the other Tachio an idea of what they did and did not know. To give the kids a break between each exam, each tachio would take them to various buildings for proper tours.

During the first few months Aioka suspected that they would have to shuffle teams around until they found the best fit for their students. Runner potentials will go to Saito, Clerks to Ichiro, Scouts to Hana, and Aioka would take whoever was left.

Aside from efficiency, Aioka wanted her genin to enjoy what they did in some capacity. Part of the reason the Genin Corp was currently so toxic to growth was that very few were doing jobs the enjoyed. Ichiro, for example, had been stuck on labor intensive D-ranks when he was much happier working in the library or doing filing for the hospital. Hence Aioka creating categories for her genin to work within. She knew it would be impossible for the genin to work strictly on the mission types they enjoyed but she thought she could give them the option of primary and secondary categories to balance everything out. There would be the few who would be strictly a single category due to simply being that good in that particular field or because that was far as their abilities allowed them to go. Not everyone who became shinob, should be.

 **A:CG**

As with any plan, Aioka's changed and grew with time. Ideas were discarded when they didn't work, others added or changed when they did. Over all, the training model produced career genin who were confident in their duties, respectful to their superiors, and kind to the civilians. Uzashi had two more group go through the model before handing the reins of the Corp and gleefully set about fulfilling his day dreams of lounging at onosans and haunting tea houses.

For the first six months as Commander, Aioka left training to Saito and those she had come to call her Lieutenants while she, a kage bunshin, Ichiro, and two other Clerks combed through the Corps finances and began overhauling the budget. By the time that was complete Aioka and Ichiro had set up the premise for what would become known as the Financing division, a facet of the Clerks.

At 17, a year and a half into Aioka's tenner as Genin Commander, the Corp as a whole had taken to Aioka's vision. There were more than a few who resented the extra work the changes brought but these quickly learned to keep their mouths shut and do what they were told. Aioka prefered to have obedience through respect but she was not above ruling through fear if need be. For everyone's sake, Aioka retired those who resisted as soon as their contracts were up.

There were several different types of shinobi who left the academy. Those who paid for their schooling, those who got sponsors, and those who signed a ten year contract to get through the academy without paying up front.

The Ten-ers, as the last category were known as, could continue to serve or return to civilian life once their contract was up. The other categories were usually lifers. Civilians, orphans, and immigrants like Aioka fell most commonly into the Ten-er category. However it was not uncommon for wealthy civilians to fall into the first, nor was it uncommon for orphans to find clan sponsors. The Uchiha were particularly known for their sponsorships but it was an open secret that any who accepted such sponsorships were expected to marry into the clan.

For those who had the right mind set and wanted to continue their career as a Genin, Aioka went over goals with them. A huge factor that had played into the former version of the Genin Corps discontent, had been a lack of purpose. Aioka was determined for each of her genin to have a purpose in life and for them to use their career as a means to fulfilling that purpose.

A genin kunoichi wanted to be a painter? Aioka and her Lieutenants directed her to appropriate reading material and offered budgeting classes. A shinobi wanted to become a weaponsmith? Same offer, different reading material, and an introduction to an already practicing weaponsmith.

Aioka knew that if her Corp was happy, the people they served would be happy. And the happiness of her village was second only to the security of her village.

Security which seemed to shatter when Aioka woke to feeling signature after signature being snuffed out late one July night.

* * *

A/N: I'm basing my timeline off Seelentau's timeline on Narutopedia if anyone is curious. The only thing that's different is when the Hokage announces the Chunin Exams. It will be explained in coming chapters =D


	8. 007 Aftermath

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

A/n: a bit of a short and sad chapter. Hope you all enjoy it and pleas R&R =D

* * *

The weeks following the Uchiha Massacre was a living nightmare for Konoha. Clans turned against themselves, against other clans, and against their Hokage.

Civilians caused havoc in the streets as terror of nameless phantoms coming to wipe them out overcame any logic they had.

Aioka had gathered as much of the Corp as she could and bent them to her will. Reminding them of their primary duty to the civilians. So, person by person, the Corp used the trust they had built with their civilian wards and talked them down from mass hysteria.

Scouts and Trainers formed squads to combat looters, while Handymen and Clerks did their best to soothe and comfort. Runners made themselves as available to the regular forces as they could but ended up returning to the HQ when the regular forces ignored them or out right screamed for them to leave. Aioka gave the Runners orders to assist those who had lost family members in the chaos.

While the turmoil calmed to a simmering time bomb, Aioka gathered her Scouts and Trainers and set about creating a temporary police force to further calm the civilians with the obvious security. This was also done when Runners reported a lack of action from the shinobi sector to secure the safety of the civilians.

Between calming the masses, Aioka reached out to her Corp to offer them comfort. In the short time that she had been their commander, the Genin Corp had formed amiable relationships with a good number of the Uchiha Police.

As much as the civilians needed to mourn, so did her Corp.

 **A:CG**

Shikoru approached the Genin HQ wearily.

The last month had been an echo of the devastation that had been caused by the Kyubi attack and the death of the Yondaime. Emotions were running high and raw in everyone. A nasty combination for any village, but especially volatile in a shinobi village

Nara Shikaku had ordered a recall of all Nara clan members—as had the Yamanaka and Akimichi—and had personally met each Nara and sent everyone to see Yamanaka mind walkers who were cleared by Inoichi-sama. The Nara clan had submitted but Shikaku-sama would have to deal with the repercussions of such a violation of the clans privacy once things calmed in village.

Following the mind walks, Shikaku had put the clan on standby for evacuation. Something Ichika and Shikoru had dreaded due to being unable to reach Aioka. It was only within the last two days that Shikaku had allowed his clan to attempt to return to their normal routines. Missions were being assigned in earnest to compensate for the loss of a major village resource and to show that they were not weakened in the face of such a loss.

Shikoru paused just inside the main entrance of the HQ. Several pairs of eyes focused on him within a respectable amount of time—Aioka must have been emphasizing awareness lately—before the genin returned to their tasks. Each genin seemed to be doing inventory on their weapons and medical supplies.

There was an air of focus in the room that Shikoru wasn't used to within these walls but supposed everyone was dealing with the massacre differently. Catching the eye of a genin Shikoru recognized as one of his daughter's lieutenants, he glanced questioningly toward Aioka's office. The man nodded an affirmative and motioned him on.

After the previous commander retired, Aioka moved the office to the top floor and added one way windows to overlook the training hall. She had turned the previous office into a storage room much to the apparent amusement of the Corp.

Trudging toward the stairs in the left hall, Shikoru glanced further down the hall. There was a great deal of commotion over there but his curiosity wasn't as strong as his desire to check on his daughter. He knew she had been friendly with a number of Uchiha and was worried about her. Knowing the girl, she probably hadn't given herself the space to grieve yet. She was selflessly selfish that way. Always looking out for others but so very rarely allowing others to look after her.

Coming to the top of the stairs the Nara stopped to take in the scene before him.

The stairs came right into the office much like stairs did to an attic. The area, usually tidy and clean, was organized chaos. Across three desks—one for Aioka and two for her kage bunshin—papers, scrolls, and books were scattered. Trash cans over flowed with take out boxes and plastic bags. In one corner was a pile of clothes and in another was a cot.

The girl herself sat at her desk holding a scroll in one hand, while the other hand seemed to massage her brow while simultaneously keeping her head from falling to the desk. Her hitai-ate hung haphazardly around her neck and one sleeve was pushed above her elbow while the other stretched to her wrist. Her hair was up in a Nara tail, a style he had never seen her use outside her home.

"Yurei-chan."

Copper eyes snapped to his face, shock and confusion gave way to weary amusement and quiet grief.

"Papa."

Shikoru smiled sadly at the childlike greeting. "Let's go home, Yurei-chan. Just for the night. Kaa-chan wants us together."

For a moment Shikoru thought he was going to have to coax her further but the reluctance left before it even surfaced.

"Okay."

A few moments later the two made their way down stairs and out the HQ with only a brief stop where Aioka let one of her lieutenants—Shikoru thought it was the messenger one but he wasn't sure—know that she was leaving and would be back some time tomorrow.

The walk was spent in silence, both taking in the subdued nature of the village as they walked.

Life was cautiously forming a new normalcy. Shops were reopening and serving customers. The market was slowly regaining its usual hum of voices. Life was moving on but voids still existed where the Uchiha police used to frequent. Everywhere they went, Shikoru noted the empty places were the police used to loiter or wander. Ghosts took time to fade away.

The pair made it to the Nara compound in utter silence, neither desiring to start something they couldn't freely finish in public.

Shikoru watched his daughter's face as they passed the guards who still watched the entrance. Sorrow deepened in her eyes for the necessity but was unsurprised by the uncharacteristic show of hostility from the Clan. Nara's were not known for their tempers but those who were familiar with them could conclude that they made deadly domestic enemies.

Turning his mind from the knife edge his clan was balancing on with their wrath, Shikoru opened his door for Aioka to enter. Both calling out 'taidaime' to the houses' matriarch.

Ichika stepped out of the kitchen, her usually merry face lacking color. The tension of the passed few weeks getting to her.

"Ai-chan," Ichika breathed sweeping Aioka into a tight hug. "I was so worried."

Aioka clung to her mother figure. "I felt them die, Kaa-chan."

Shikoru's breath caught as his daughter seemed to fall to pieces in his wife's arms. The confusion and horror in Ichika's eyes had him pulling the two to himself before sinking to his knees as Aioka's legs gave way to her grief.

Shikoru and Ichika could do nothing but physically hold the girl as she grieved.

Keening sobs gradually faded to hitching gasps and then to jagged breaths and gross sniffles. Eventually silence came when the exhausted teen succumbed to sleep.

Carefully, Shikoru and Ichika moved the girl from the floor and to the couch. Each taking turns sitting by her and calming her the best they could when nightmares disturbed her.

Ichika was fixing dinner when Aioka finally woke to find herself using her father's thigh as a pillow while he read.

"Hi."

Shikoru glanced down at the soft greeting and gently rubbed the arm his hand was resting on. "Hey."

Aioka closed her eyes and snuggled closer for a moment, releshing her father's warmth and comfort before sighing reluctantly. "I should go shower."

Shikoru made a noise of agreement but kept his hand resting comfortably against her arm. There was a fragility in Aioka's demeanor that made him reluctant to let her out of his sight just yet.

They remained like that for a while longer before Aioka made a noise that made Shikoru chuckle. It seemed she realized just how much of mess she was.

"Go on, kaa-chan is finishing dinner," he encouraged.

Aioka rubbed her face as she sat up. "Okay."

Once she was out of sight, Shikoru began cleaning up the blankets Aioka had been using. While she had slept, she had muttered words that worried him. Her repeat apologies and pleas for 'Uchiha-san' to stop were very telling. Her comment before she collapsed had been playing in his mind.

She said she _felt_ them die. Not saw. On one hand it was a relief that she had not witness the deaths but on the other it was horrifying that Aioka's chakra sense was strong enough for her to feel the clan die.

Shikoru had always known that Aioka was a sensor but had never really thought about how sensitive she was. He had known that she could pick him out no matter where he hid nor how much he suppressed his signature. The massacre had happened in the middle of the night.

If she had been asleep as he suspected and she had still felt the massacre...Shikoru closed his eyes. If she was sensitive enough to wake from a dead sleep when people died, exactly what did that say about how in tuned she was to the signatures around her? The Uchiha compound was well over a mile away from her home, with hundreds of signatures between her and them.

Shikoru exhaled slowly. It was probably a good thing Aioka was in the Genin Corp. If it were discovered what she was able to do—the Nara could imagine the pressure his daughter would be put under to pass the ability to her children.

"Shikoru?"

The chunnin opened his eyes and sighed at the worry in his wife's kind eyes. "Complications."

Ichika's worry deepened but she did not ask more. Complications meant Shikoru had realized something but wasn't ready to discuss with her just yet. It was one of many words coded between them to prevent miscommunications

By the time Aioka joined them, Shikoru had finished setting the table and Ichika was putting the last touches on the food.

"Feel better, love?" Ichika asked after they sat and filled their plates.

Aioka smiled wearily. "For now. How are you? I take it the Clan has decided to stay?"

Shikoru nodded, a bit surprised Aioka wasn't upset about the possibility of them leaving. "Yes. Shika-Ino-Cho-sama's have decided staying would be the best option for us. Our roots are too deep here to up and leave."

Aioka passed the rice to Ichika, acknowledging her father's statement with a flickering glance. "The Corp managed to talk most of the vendors and civilians clans into staying but sixty families left. Thirty of which were major merchants, eleven nobles, and the rest were working families."

Shikoru winced. The loss was minimal but would hurt later on. Particularly the loss of the nobles as they would mostly likely flee to the Daimiyo and the capital and spread their skewed version of what happened.

"Seven civilians were killed due to looters, another twenty injured in riots," Aioka continued, staring thoughtfully at her chopsticks. "Five, out of eight, missing children have been found. Three adults have yet to be found and a number of pets are unaccounted for. What is the word on the Shinobi side?"

"The entire Uchiha clan, with the exception of Uchiha Sasuke—second son of the Uchiha Clan head—are dead. The Hokage announced that Uchiha Itachi, heir to the Uchiha, is responsible for the massacre. Sasuke-san confirmed that he saw his older brother kill his parents."

Aioka closed her eyes, grief causing her hands to tremble, but motioned for him to continue.

"The Shika-Ino-Cho clans have not lost any members. Neither have the Aburame or Hyuuga. The Kurama, Inuzuka, and Hoki clans have reported missing members but how many and whether they were shinobi or not has not been stated. A number of fights have broken between individual shinobi since the massacre but no deaths have occurred. The Hokage and his council are revising security."

Aioka let out a slow breath when Shikoru finished. "The Corp has been accepted by the civilians as a temporary replacement for the police. Is there any word about what will be done in regards to their protection?"

"I haven't heard anything," Shikoru denied after a moment of shifting through his memory.

"Then I will keep my Corp on top of the civilian side of things until told otherwise."

Shikoru nodded his agreement then shifting topics reluctantly. "What did you mean by you felt the Uchiha die, Yurei-chan?"

Some color faded from the young woman's face but she visibly rallied herself as she met his gaze. "I never told you about my sensing ability did I?"

The question was rhetorical but he answered anyway. "No and I never thought to ask."

Ichika stayed quiet but looked between her husband and daughter curiously. She had been aware that Aioka was a sensor but didn't know there was anything significant about her ability. It wasn't too uncommon of an ability.

Aioka's gaze blanked, masking any emotions. "Shikaku-sama and his wife are sitting in their living room reading to their son. Rokamura-san is lying on his roof with his daughter pointing out stars. The guards at the gate are switching out with Ozai-san and Durai-san. Behind Kaa-chan above the sink is a spider and its eggs. A bird is nesting in the eves of Rokamura-san's house, it has four eggs—one of which is sterile. The Hokage is in a meeting with three people whom I assume are his advisers. There are seven Anbu in the tower with them. I can tell you where each member of my Corp is and what they are doing right now."

With each sentence Shikoru's alarm increased until he lost most of the color behind his tan. By the end he was barely breathing and Ichika was covering her mouth in shock—she had turned to check for the spider and had found it behind the curtains she had only hung that morning.

"I won't say any more about this, Tou-san, Kaa-chan," Aioka said quietly. "I don't want anyone to know. I don't want to be used."

Shikoru understood. It was worse than he had imagined earlier and he had no intention of asking again after tonight but there was just one thing he needed to know.

"What does it cost?"

The grim smile was not reassuring. "I can't turn it off. Those nose bleeds, headaches, and occasional panic attack? Those are side effects. I will never be able to use Kage Bunshin in combat situations. I can barely tolerate what I _do_ use them for."

Ichika made a sound of distress that Shikoru silently echoed. The descriptors Aioka used were understatements of what she really experienced. Nose bleeds also meant blood dripped from her ears and, on one frightening occasion, her eyes. Headaches could result in her passing out and the panic attacks always left the girl locked in her head for varying lengths of time. Fortunately none of those happened frequently but the results took their toll on her.

The issue of the Kage Bunshin made him itch to forbid her from using them. They could out right kill her. But anyone who used that bunshin type were aware of the risks, and Aioka apparently already knew her limits with the jutsu.

Shikoru rubbed his forehead while leaning against the table. "Will you be okay?"

Would she be able to handle feeling deaths like that continuously? Death was everywhere and happened daily, even in the village.

"Yes. I can dampen my senses to an extent. The only reason the mas-massacre," she swallowed as she stuttered, "affected me so much is because I knew most of the signatures and it happened so fast. It was like a page was covered in ink and then a space was suddenly erased. A clean slate where there was once something."

That should not be as reassuring as it was. It was only familiar signatures that caused her distress. Shikoru reached out and took Aioka's hand and squeezed gently but said nothing while she struggled with tears.

Eventually Aioka swallowed and turned a wobbly smile to Ichika. "Thanks for dinner, Kaa-chan."

Ichika smiled and changed the subject to details about what Aioka's corp was doing.

Life would return to a new normal. It always did, even when people wished it otherwise.


	9. 008 Adjustment

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

* * *

Life after the Uchiha Massacre was a time of change for Konoha, as its government raced to seal the holes left by the Uchiha clan. T&I scrambled to figure out how to fill positions that had no one to pass on pertinent information of said position. Power struggles in the shinobi council were volatile as each clan jockeyed for a piece of the power left behind in the void.

In the chaos of the reconstruction, many positions fell through the cracks, and details were overlooked. Such as who had taken over the former Uchiha Police.

Shinobi glanced at the security, noted its efficiency, and assumed someone had taken care of it. This assumption was never looked into and the Genin Corp never sought to clarify.

The duty was theirs now and they didn't want to give it back if they didn't have to.

 **A:CG**

Soft pops and a low groan of pleasure drew copper eyes from the quarterly report from Scheduling. At the next desk over, a woman was smiling as she lowered her arms from a satisfying stretch.

"Done?"

The woman glanced at the observer, identical copper eyes glinting with echoing amusement.

"That I am. How much longer do you have?"

The kage bunshin glanced at the file before it and quickly calculated how much it had left. "Probably two hours, maybe three if something noteworthy pops up."

From her place at the middle desk, Aioka hummed and went about tidying her desk and organizing the items she needed to take to Filing. "Great. Dismiss yourself when you're done with that file."

The bunshin rolled its eyes at the qualifier. "Please, Shikoru-san would murder you if there was a repeat of last time."

Aioka grimaced in agreement. Last time she left her Bunshin unattended with paperwork, it had lost track of time and hadn't dispelled until well after midnight. The resulting memory surge had ripped Aioka from sleep and into a writhing mess of agony. How she had managed to get to the Nara Compound was a mystery to her. The iryo-nin who had tended to her told her she had caused minor hemorrhaging of the brain. Shikoru had managed to evade answering exactly what Aioka had done to cause the damage but had assured the nurse Aioka would not be doing it ever again. The training from the _pits_ Shikoru had put her through (once she recovered of course) ensured she learned that lesson. Shikoru had commented later that, that was the second time she had infuriated a Nara and survived; she shouldn't try for a third.

Nara's were _terrifying_.

"Right, well, I'm off."

The kage bunshin watched its original with a smirk. It was so fun making her uncomfortable.

Since it was a copy of the woman it was teasing, did that make the original a masochist?

Pondering that, the bunshin returned to its report.

* * *

Outside, Aioka breathed in the taste of freedom. She loved her job but kami paperwork was a pain!

Stuffing her hands in the pockets of her pants, Aioka ambled her way to the marketplace. It was nearing noon and she felt like eating pork chops and potatoes. She would add whatever veggies caught her eye.

Vendors and customers alike greeted Aioka. Sometimes she stopped to chat, other times Aioka continued on her way with a happy acknowledgement.

Life was good. The chaos that had followed the Massacre had passed and the Genin Corp had adjusted beautifully to Aioka's vision for it.

The old Corp lacked purpose beyond fulfilling their mission quota. There had been no drive for self improvement, no expectations of betterment, and no true direction in watching over the villagers.

The new corp focused on all of that. When doing D-ranks, genin paid close attention to the moods of those around them; searching for inconsistencies or strangers. They made note of unkempt areas of the village and the Missions Desk suddenly had new missions.

Genin began to greet civilian by name when passing in the streets and thoroughly understood what was expected of them.

 _ **Honor Konoha, protect her people. Protect Konoha, know her people.**_ This was the creed the Career Genin took up under Aioka. The civilians were their responsibility to watch over. As Genin, they had daily personal contact with the civilians. More so than any other ninja rank. As such, it was their job to be on the lookout for spies, thieves, and those who meant harm. It was their job to report such things if seen, or suspected, with clear and informative reports to the Enforcers—the division Aioka had created in the wake of the Massacre.

The Enforcement Division remained strictly in the civilian districts. They monitored any criminal activity, only interfering to head off any violence or destruction of property. As unpleasant as drug rings and yakuza were, they did benefit Konoha in a way; through them, information on other criminals came, and their money eventually went into Konoha's coffers. More than once, the Corp had garnered money through fines. The Corp had tabs on every civilian criminal dealings, only curbing the activity when it leaned toward violence or slavery. They did not stop drug dealing, but they did stop violent money collectors. Dealers and buyers were both fined if such intervention was necessary. The money was then rolled into the Corp funds. Aioka had a team of Clerks review all laws surrounding fines to make sure everything was legal before she had allowed any money to be taken. The corp did not need a case of money fraud.

Raised voices drew Aioka's attention from a selection of fruit she was contemplating, doubly so when she recognize the signatures of two of her genin and that of a person she had yet to meet, but whose signature she was intimately familiar with.

Pushing through the grimly satisfied crowd Aioka immediately snapped at the children grappling in the road.

"Yame!"

The two genin snapped to attention, their faces a painful mix of shock at their bodies trained response and fear when they saw the unamused face of their Commander.

"Silence," the order cracked like a whip when one of the two started to open his mouth.

The boy obeyed with a clink of his teeth and his eyes darting reflexively toward the crowd. Aioka followed his gaze and carefully did not allow a sneer to take the place of her controlled glare. There, at the front of the crowd, were this particular genin's parents.

The adults were torn between unease and disappointment at the loss of their entertainment. Aioka would be having words with her genin.

Turning to the crowd, Aioka met the gaze of anyone who was looking at her; memorizing their faces so she could visit them later. It was with cold pleasure that she saw several of them look away in shame. "I apologize for my genin's disruptiveness. It would please me if you would leave now."

The crowd dispersed: none wished to challenge the woman they all knew and respected.

Shifting her attention to the boy sitting in the street, Aioka's eyes narrowed at the cuts and bruises that littered his arm.

The boy flinched under her gaze, telling the kunoichi far more than words could.

Schooling her features to something more neutral, Aioka looked at her genin; both who promptly shrank under her gaze. It was never good when someone received that look.

"You will be in my office at eight tomorrow to discuss your punishment. Now apologize and get out of my sight."

The two boys flinched under the glacier tone. "Hai, soutaicho."

The boys obeyed; their reverence of their Commander far greater than that of their parents who had encouraged the bullying of the 'Demon Brat'.

"Neh, why'd you do that nee-chan?"

Aioka looked down at the boy her genin had been assaulting. Uzumaki Naruto: she had heard about the boy off and on since she first arrived in Konoha but had been focused on adjusting to her new life to search him out. The whispers of his treatment hit far too close to her own experience for her to really ignore.

"I expect professionalism from my Corp, Uzumaki-san. I will not tolerate a leaf-nin bullying a civilian, especially an academy student."

The boy seemed to become wistful for a moment before jumping and pointing at her dramatically. "How'd you know I go to the academy?!"

The suspicion and disbelief in his bright blue eyes was achingly familiar even after all these years.

Aioka rubbed her ear in a useless attempt to sooth the ringing the blonde's voice induced. "I"m not deaf, gaki; and I'm a sensor. Your signature is at the academy most days." _And everywhere else for that matter,_ she added silently. Uzumaki's signature was large and potent enough to blanket most of the village.

Apparently the brat couldn't take a hint because he continued in a loud voice about how cool she was.

Snorting lightly she place a finger on his lips, halting him mid-rant and making him go cross-eyed to stare at her hand, his arms freezing comically mid gesture. "I don't mind your company, gaki, but quiet down. You're hurting my ears."

"Oh, sorry," he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, a little perturbed that his voice was hurting her.

Smirking she straightened and continued on her usual wandering of the market. "Are you enjoying the academy?"

While she browsed she listen to the cheerful boy talk about his day and the things he did, and noted the hostile and rather cool behaviour directed toward her companion. At one point Dorusaki Sora—a usually jovial man— tried to drive the boy off. Aioka caught the hand that went to strike Naruto and smiled. The man went white as a sheet at the violence he saw in her copper eyes.

"You are rather unpopular with the civilians," Aioka comment a few moments later. Naruto hurried to catch up to her, having froze to stare at the man who had urinated on himself for seemingly no reason.

"Yeah."

Aioka glanced down at the boy. His tone was subdued and very sad. The pain and loneliness in his gaze struck a familiar chord within her. Even after all this time she could recall the cruelness she had endured in her birth village.

"Would you like to come over for lunch?" She would offer him friendship, something she could tell he desperately wanted. The sheer joy that crossed his face softened her expression. "Come on then."

Lunch took almost an hour longer than normal but teaching the boy how to cut vegetables and explaining why they were important to eat was enjoyable.

"Thanks nee-chan, it's not ramen but that was good," the bright boy exclaimed, his tone borderline acceptable for inside.

Aioka smiled lightly. "You may call me Aioka, Uzumaki-san."

The boy beamed. "Call me Naruto! The future Hokage!"

The Genin-Commander laughed, delighted by the boys' enthusiasm. "Then, Future Hokage, will you bring me the dirty dishes?"

The two cleaned up from lunch while Naruto told her about what he was working on in the academy and how difficult the bunshin and kawarimi were for him.

"Why don't your instructors increase your Chakra control Exercises?" Aioka asked with a frown. The boy had a massive amount of chakra, the academy sensei's should have given him the leaf sticking and tree walking exercises otherwise he would never perform anything that required any sort of control. The blank look the boy gave her did nothing to endear herself to the Academy. Her time in Academy was filled with learning to read, she couldn't recall if the teachers were so negligent as they seemed today.

Just yesterday she had assigned this season's Academy graduates to Trainers and noted the amount of potential this year. Most were from civilian background and very undertrained. It seemed to her that more and more civilians were failing from a lack of effective teaching.

"Tell you what; meet me here around five tomorrow evening and I'll give you some pointers. You should head home." Dusk was quickly closing in—their lunch date had stretched into early evening—and Aioka wanted time to think. She wanted to figure out exactly why the usually jovial civilians of Konoha turned cruel around the boy.

"Really? You'll teach me?"

The quiver in the boys voice took Aioka by surprise, even if it shouldn't have. The boy likely had little to no experience with people helping him.

Making sure the boy saw her coming, Aioka gently ruffled his hair. "Yeah, I will. Now hurry home, Naruto-san."

The next morning found Aioka in the Record's Hall—a series of highly protected rooms that housed every report the Genin Corp had ever made since she had taken over four years ago—pouring over the file bearing Uzumaki Naruto's name.

What she found aggravated her. Whoever put this file together had ignored professional policies and therefore made the file all but useless to her. There were no facts, just derogatory and useless rants.

Huffing, the commander took the file and stalked from the Record's Hall and down to where her Filing Lieutenant's signature was lingering.

Knocking roughly on the office door—a courtesy she did not necessary need to give but chose to offer in any case—and entered at the woman's call.

"Explain this," she demanded, tossing the shameful file before the startled brunette.

Huro Ai's puzzlement shifted to resignation when she saw what the file contained. "You won't like it," she warned.

Aioka snorted. "Considering I had to pull two of our genin off the boy yesterday? No, I don't supposed I'll like anything I learn about the child."

Ai gapped. "Who?!"

Aioka looked pointedly at the file, she was not going to be derailed.

Sighing heavily, Ai closed the file she was working on and picked up Uzumaki's. "I'm under a blanket order from the Hokage so I can't tell you much more than to look into what happened on his birthday, Soutachio."

"October tenth, the Kyubi attack and death of the Yondaime," Aioka murmured with a dark frown and a sharp look toward her Lieutenant.

The young woman grimaced beneath the look but pursed her lips. "Please don't make me say more, Soutachio. It's a blanket S-rank secret."

Aioka's glare softened to a frown and pointed at the file. "Fix that. I don't care if the boy is the son of Orochimaru himself, I want it professional and neat."

Leaving Ai with that pleasant imagery, Aioka left for her office. It was nearing eight and she had two trouble makers to reprimand.

 **A:CG**

Naruto crouched behind a hedge, staring at the house across the street as if it were a particularly bad tempered dog.

The house was small compared to its neighbours, but nearly twice the size of his apartment. It was… nice. No, that wasn't the word. What had Ino-chan said the other day about Sakura-chan's house?

Ah! Quaint! Yeah, the house was quaint and calming. Which was weird since he didn't know buildings could give off emotions.

The blonde supposed such a nice house didn't deserve his glare but he couldn't quite help it. What if the nice lady from yesterday was just pretending? Well, at least he knew where she lived and the layout of her house. He could prank her to kingdom come if she turned out like everyone else.

Sucking a deep breath, he adjusted his goggles and slipped from the hedge and over to the door. He knocked before he lost his nerve.

"Come in, Naruto-san."

Naruto blinked and looked suspiciously at the door and the window. There was no way the lady could see him. How did she know it was him? Maybe some super secret cool spying jutsu?

"Come to the kitchen when you take off your shoes, Naruto-san."

Naruto closed the door behind him and took in what he could see of the house. Before him was the living room, home to a couch, a lounging chair, a low table, and several book shelves. A hall branched off from the living room where he could make out four doors, one of which he knew was the bathroom. Turning to his immediate surroundings of the entryway Naruto froze when he saw orange house shoes that looked suspiciously like his size. Scrubbing his eyes, the boy blinked several times, and even pinched himself to make sure he was really seeing what he thought he was seeing.

Yep, the house shoes were still there and definitely orange.

Naruto began putting the house shoes on—half expecting the woman to pop out and berate him for touching her things but he could only assume they were meant for him. Wiggling his feet, Naruto grinned at the wonderful feeling. He hadn't had house shoes since he grew out of his last pair two years ago. New shoes were _expensive_.

Straightening his shinobi sandals—a worn out pair he had managed to salvage from a neighbours trash—Naruto made his way to the kitchen.

The nice lady from yesterday sat at the table looking over several sheets of paper. She was dressed the same as yesterday, dark grey pants, a light grey sleeveless shirt, and a long sleeved mesh armor underneath—her tan vest was hanging on the back of her chair.

"How was your day, kid?"

Naruto quickly found himself babbling about his day much like he did with Jiji and was surprised that the strange lady's attention never wavered from him. Her eyes rarely strayed from him for too long and never got that far away look that meant she was thinking of something else.

He gave her a play by play of his day, including all his pranks, and was delighted by her interested questions. She was very interested in how he went about setting up his pranks and how he got his information. Jiji had never asked before and Naruto gleefully bragged.

Eventually the nice lady offered dinner and he accepted, his mouth watering at the memory of the yummy meat he had yesterday. He hadn't had meat like that ever! Pork ramen had meat in it but never that juicy and flavorful.

Naruto soon found himself in front of a cutting board with the nice lady guiding his hands in the proper way of cutting onions. He listened as she explained how to prevent onions from making him cry—apparently not cutting the root end off the onion kept the tear juices out of the air—and how to saute onions and mushrooms. She told him about the nutritional value of vegetables—yuck!—and how eating them would help him in his shinobi career.

Before he knew it, he was helping the nice lady set the table and putting a meal of swiss mushroom chicken breasts, potatoes, and squash on their plates.

By the time the meal was over he was blinking sleepily. "That was really good nee-chan."

The woman smiled, her pretty brown-but-not-brown eyes gentle. "I'm glad you liked it. Tomorrow I'll show you how to make miso soup and yakisoba skewers."

Naruto perked up at the thought of coming back over then scowled. "Hey, I thought you were going to help me be a shinobi."

The woman pushed her plate to the side and put her chin in her hand. "What foods cause muscle growth?"

Naruto glowered, confused over how that question related to his accusation. "Meats."

"What is in meat that causes muscle growth?"

"Porteen, no, protein," he answered, momentarily pleased that he remembered the word.

"What happens when the body doesn't get enough protein but a person works it hard?" the woman continued to quiz.

"Uh," he crossed his arms and scowled at the ceiling, not sure where she was going with this. "It eats it self?"

"Right," the woman smiled proudly then motioned at the empty plates. "A shinobi's most lethal weapon is their body. If you don't know how to care for your body, you won't be nearly as effective as you can be. I learned a lot about you tonight, Naruto-kun. I learned that you are very good at traps and stealth. I learned you have a large pool of chakra and I learned you don't learn well from lectures. Now that I know these things, I can begin putting together a training plan to help you improve."

Naruto gapped. She got all of that from him talking?! "Cool!"

The woman laughed, a happy sound that made the boy feel warm and happy. It was a weird and really nice feeling.

The woman leaned back, her smile shrinking but still nice. "I can help you, Naruto-kun, the only question is: do you want help?"

Naruto scowled. "Of course I do!"

Hadn't he already said that?

"Let me clarify," the woman stated, amused by his glower. "Are you willing to listen to me, even when my instructions don't make sense? Are you willing to come back even when you don't feel like it? Are willing to trust that I won't cause you harm even if you feel like I'm about to kill you?"

"Kill me?!" he yelped, scrambling back and out of the chair only to pause when he realized the nice lady—or not so nice—made no move to follow him. Those weird shade of brown eyes locked on him, her mouth no longer smiling but not threatening either.

"A sensei's job is to help their student improve and to prepare them for life outside the classroom. I will teach you to be the best you can be, but that will mean putting you in situations that will cause you to bleed and possibly break bones. It will definitely mean hurting your feelings, Naruto-san."

Naruto's mind raced. This was not what he had expected at all. When the lady had offered to help him, he had thought she might give him some tips on his taijutsu—which he _sucked_ at—or maybe teach him a cool jutsu. He never expected whatever it was she was offering.

"Why?"

Naruto hated how small he sounded but he had never had someone offer to invest so much time into him. Not even Jiji.

The smile that made him feel warm was back. "Because, I was once in a situation like yours and I had someone help me become who I am now. You deserve the same chance I got."

The blond vaguely felt himself sit down, overwhelmed by the thought that someone knew what he was going through.

"How did you get the villagers to like you?" he desperately wanted that answer. How could he get the villagers to look at him like they had looked at her when she had told them to leave.

The lady came over to him, her movements slow and clear so he could avoid her if he wanted, and knelt in front of him.

"I didn't. My situation and yours are different in some ways but the same in others. I'm not from Konoha, but I had issues with the villagers when I first came here. Would you like me to tell you my story?"

They moved to the living room when Naruto agreed and drank tea while the lady—Aioka he learned again—told him about her mean tou-san. How her village killed her kaa-san and abused her. How she left her village and came to Konoha and had to learn manners and to read.

The lady was right, their situations were different but they were similar. She knew what it was to be hated for reasons she did not immediately understand. She understood his longing for friendship and acknowledgement. She knew what it was to be ignorant and what it was to overcome her ignorance.

He wanted to learn. He wanted what she had.

As they stood in her entryway, Naruto looked up at the first person to understand him and decided: no matter how much it hurt, he would learn whatever she was willing to teach him.

Decision made, he bowed before the woman who would shape him in ways he never imagined. "Please teach me, Aioka-sensei."


	10. 009 Revelations and Growth

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

 **A/N:** Surprise! An early up-date =D but, it might be three weeks until the next up-date. Sorry =P

This is another chapter I'm not too happy with. It doesn't flow and there's a big-ish time skip where I skip actually developing Naruto and Aioka's relationship. Also, I feel some of it just isn't well thought out. Anyway, it'll get fixed in my final draft, promise.

Nit-pick at your leisure.

Uncertain

* * *

Taking Naruto under her wing was the second most fulfilling decision of Aioka's life. Watching the boy grow with each lesson he absorbed filled Aioka with pride. Teaching the boy was a lesson in patience and thinking outside the box for the woman.

Patience with not only the boy, but with herself. The boy was hyperactive to the extreme and Aioka had to find creative ways to help him focus while keeping a lid on her frustration. Combining physical training with lectures helped significantly but some days were just a lost cause; the kid was eight and couldn't be expected to have unwavering focus.

The patience she had to exert over herself was to ensure she didn't murder those under her care or lash out at her family.

It had taken her a single week to figure out what Ai had meant about the significance of Naruto's birthday. The boy was a Jinchuriki; a jailor for the Kyuubi, the Nine-Tailed Fox the Yondaime had died to seal, and the village was using him as a scapegoat.

Listening to the way the village talked about the boy had led her to reading up biju. Why would they call the child a demon if the Yondaime had killed the Kyuubi?

What she found made her sick and torn between bitterness and disgust. To seal a biju, they required an infant with a freshly cut umbilical cord for the best results, or a child whose chakra network had yet to mature.

Who was the Yondaime to condemn a child to such a life? What right did he have of taking a stranger's child and forcing a life of abuse on its head?

Or was that really what the Yondaime had done? That accusation did not match up with the personality the village painted of the man, so Aioka had done more research. It was by happenstance that she came to the conclusion that the man had used his own child. She had been struck by the similarity between Naruto and the statue of the Yondaime in the distance when the boy was focusing on a theoretical scenario, which resulted in an identical expression as to that on the stone face of the Yondaime.

There were few things that Aioka truly hated, even fewer roused blood lust, and everything about Naruto's situation triggered those emotions.

How dare the village blame an innocent child? How dare the Hokage bow to the desires the people? Was he not their dictator?

With an iron will, Aioka shoved her emotions aside so she didn't alarm her protege. The rest of the day was a blur of correcting taijutsu stances and mock spars. Once Naruto was safely away from her home did Aioka allow her temper to flare.

Shunshinning to the training ground she and her Academy friends used to frequent, Aioka tore into the training dummies.

Slowly, and with many relapses of rage, Aioka rationalized her way out of her anger. Not everyone was strong enough to let go of pain; especially when it was echoed by others and subtly encouraged in a mob mentality kind of way. In their hate of the Kyubi the people shared a kinship. And what person didn't want kinship?

The Hokage was old and likely weary from so much loss. It was a poor excuse yet a rational one.

Aioka laughed weakly as she acknowledge the grey of dawn that shed light on the destruction she had wrought. She had been up all night. The rest of the day was going to be rough but at least she didn't feel like she was going to snap anybodies neck.

Huffing, the woman drug herself to her feet and set about gathering her weapons and counting how many post she would need to replace.

The gawking of her civilian neighbours was mildly amusing when they caught her unlocking her front door. Her arms and legs were a mess of blood and dirt from the repeated contact with the training posts.

By the time Naruto came for his usual evening lesson Aioka had regained her calm. She could not outright tell the boy the secrets that lay around his life but she could teach him to listen, analyze, and see beyond the words people used to find truths.

Over the next four years Aioka taught Naruto as if he were one of her Genin. It was not an easy endeavor due to the boy's hyper personality and short attention span, but through exhausting him physically with exercises, and mentally with observations, she managed to slow his mind enough to help him focus. Through working with him she discovered several holes in his education. His literacy was sub-par, Aioka was actually amazed at how much the boy had managed to learn with his poor reading skills. His social skills were almost worse than hers had been. Aioka had many moments of deja vu while watching Naruto struggle with etiquette lessons.

Almost a year after meeting the boy, Aioka introduced him to her parents during a dinner at her place. She was reluctant to take him to the compound just yet.

Shikoru accepted the boy easily and attempted to teach the blonde Go and Shoji but gave that up for coaching him in hand dexterity when the short attention span kept interfering.

"Too much chakra, the sooner he get it under control, the easier it will be for him to think," was her father figures advice when she asked for an opinion on why the boy couldn't focus.

Ichika had fallen in love with him almost instantly and was always sending extra food home with Aioka when she visited. The blond was overwhelmed by Aioka's kaa-chan's loving attention.

When helping Naruto with his homework Aioka was quietly enraged. Half the teachers were giving incomplete or outright wrong information. The other half just blatantly failed him even if he was right. Only one, an Umino Iruka, treated the boy impartially. Aioka promptly introduced the boy to the library under his advanced henge. The boy's henge was a full on transformation versus a light genjutsu. Frankly Aioka wished the boy could teach it to her but since he couldn't articulate what he did she let it go.

Deception was something she was teaching the boy by challenging him to perform the longest prank of his life. Hide his skill.

Hiding his new found abilities went against everything Naruto wanted to do but Aioka promised him a years worth of ramen if he could fool his classmates and teachers until graduation. It was incredibly difficult yet at the same time effortless for him. He was naturally good at acting—he had to be so he didn't get hurt every time the villagers hurt him—and his love for pranks made the challenge appealing.

The nurturing attention his neechan gave him made it easy to resist his more impulsive traits. As Naruto spent more time and learned new things with Aioka, he began to see beyond the kind and benevolent smile on his Jiji's face, and saw the sadness, regret, pain, and exhaustion that lay beneath. When he had told Aioka what he had seen and asked why the old man would look at him like that, the kunoichi knelt to eye level.

"As Hokage, Sarutobi-sama has had to make decisions that are best for the village," she paused, copper eyes—he had finally learned the name of her eye color—saddening with a bitter smile as she combed her fingers through his hair, "but those decisions are often not kind to individuals. There are secrets about you and your family that cannot be told to you, Naruto. These secrets both protect and curse you. One day you will learn what they are, and when you do I hope you can forgive."

Naruto suppressed his natural reaction of yelling accussions with an effort. Hurt clouded his thoughts for a moment, knowing Aioka knew why he was hated but unwilling— _No_ , he thought and corrected, _unable_ —to tell him why. Pushing back his tangled thoughts he rolled her speech around, attempting to dissect her words for their hidden meaning like she was teaching him to. Read between the lines and hear what was unsaid.

He took comfort in the warm weight of her hands on his shoulders while he thought.

Why was the secret both protection and a curse? What was he being protected from? Obviously not the villagers. After a while he shrugged it away and smiled sadly at the woman he was coming to care for as a mother (though he wasn't ready to tell her that).

"Thanks, neechan. When I do find out, will you be there to help me figure it out?"

Aioka smiled, eyes tender as she hugged him. "Until I die, Uzumaki Naruto, you will always find me open to you."

Buried in her shoulder, tears leaked and washed the hurt away.

 **A:CG**

"Well, that was unexpected."

Aioka stared at the Hitai-ate proudly displayed on Naruto's forehead—absently noting that it was not new like hers had been at graduation. Until last night both had been resigned to Naruto serving yet another year in the Academy. The instructors who sabotaged Naruto had caught on to the fact that he could not make a bunshin and they had managed to slip it into being used in the final test, permanently.

Despite four years of continual chakra control exercises, Naruto was unable to make a Bunshin or perform any form of Genjutsu. He simply had too much chakra. It also did not help that his reserves were constantly growing.

Aioka had wanted to teach him the Kage Bunshin but had regretfully let that idea go. Teaching a civilian a Forbidden Technique—especially one she technically shouldn't know herself—was a one way ticket to trouble.

It was ironic that the very technique she wanted to teach him, was the one he learned during the Mizuki Incident.

"Are you okay, Kit?" she inquired gently, watching his beaming face fade to something more melancholy.

The Incident had ripped open wounds that were just starting to scar. Through learning to think and analyze the actions/reactions of the people around him Naruto had discovered his tenant...and his parentage.

Aioka recalled that night vividly. The fury, hurt, and raging chakra had all but choked her as Naruto screamed. It had truly been the first time she had felt Terror and it was a miracle she had been able to calm him down—though not without scars. Konoha would never know how close it had come to utter destruction.

That night Naruto forgave the village and the Hokage, but both had lost his respect. While he still loved his home and his jiji, he could no longer find it in himself to respect them. Naruto often struggle to maintain his Mask when faced with the Hokage.

The teen smiled faintly at the endearment Aioka had been calling him ever since she had figured out his secrets. When he had demanded if she had know his burden a year or so ago, it was her inquiry 'why do you think I called you Kit all the time?' that relaxed the rage that had been boiling.

"I'm okay, neechan," and he was, just a little shaken at how close he had come to losing Iruka. The man was the older brother he never had; even if the sensei didn't know the Naruto behind the mask.

Aioka carded her fingers through his hair. "But?"

The boy huffed, a weary smile quirking his lips. She knew him so well. "Can I invite Iruka over?"

Aioka kept playing with Naruto's hair while she turned the request over in her mind. Pro's and Con's observed and sorted quickly.

Umino Iruka was a gentle soul and far more observant than most people would credit the Chunin. Aioka would not be surprised if the man already knew about Naruto's mask, however she was a little uneasy with officially meeting him. Iruka was likely to get curious about her and if the Chunin looked closer at her Corp, so would others. The sensei was a man who everyone loved/respected/feared. The woman had seen Jonin cower in the face of the man's ire at the missions desk.

"Neechan?"

Aioka pulled out of her thoughts with a wry smile. "I'm selfish, Naruto, I don't like sharing the things that are closest to me."

Naruto gave her an odd look. "Is that a no?"

Rolling her eyes, she ruffled his hair. "It's a hesitation. Go on and bring him by sometime. You have registration today don't you?"

Blue eyes widened and whipped to look at the clock on her wall. "I'm gonna be late!"

Aioka stared blankly at the suddenly empty space before her. Tremors shook her shoulders and she threw her head back and laughed. No matter how much the boy had matured he was still a little spaz ball.

Wiping her eyes, Aioka tried to control her giggles. "Never change Naruto," she implored the empty house with a smile. Shaking her head she went about cleaning up the dishes from breakfast. Naruto had barged in just as she was finished eating to tell her everything that had happened after they had parted ways yesterday. She was exasperated the brat hadn't come to her before taking Mizuki up on his seedy offer but she was proud that it had turned out well.

Putting the last dish away, Aioka secured her Hitai-ate around her neck. Today she would be holed up in her office.

The week of and after Graduation were the busiest for Aioka and her Lieutenants. Processing all the new paper work, setting up teams, visiting the teams who failed their Jonin test, and several other things would keep Head Quarters slightly chaotic for the next month.

 **A:CG**

Umino Iruka hissed as his shirt finally settled and raised his voice to be heard over the excited knocking at his door. "One moment."

Moving as quickly as his injuries allowed him, the Academy sensei pulled on his pants and gave up putting his hair up before he even tried. If putting his shirt on hurt that much there was no way he was going to try and lift both arms above his head again so soon.

"Oi, Iruka-sensei! Hurry up!"

A fond smile pulled at Iruka's lips. Though he hadn't been friendly with Naruto for very long, it hadn't taken much for the blond maverick to find a soft spot in his heart.

"What have I told you about yelling inside, Naruto?"

Blue eyes twinkled up at him as Iruka stood in the open doorway with his hands on his hips—crossing his arms would have been preferable but, eh, pain.

"But sensei, I wanna be just like you."

Iruka snorted at the way the boy whined out that declaration. "Right," he grinned at the mock dismay on Naruto's face at his disbelief. "Come on in, Naruto."

The boy bounced in cheerfully filling the chunnin in on his experience at registration. Iruka chuckled at the retelling of Konohamaru's attempted stalking and silently dreading another Naruto in his classroom. The way Naruto was describing the other boy's devotion to calling Naruto 'Boss' hinted at a prankster to be.

"Anyway, would you like to come over for dinner, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka blinked at the abrupt end to Naruto's babbling and studied the nervous fidgeting of the boys fingers against his leg. Did he think he would say no?

"I'd love to. Ramen?"

"Nah, I'm cooking."

Iruka had been reaching for his wallet when he had posed his question, which he promptly fumbled at Naruto's wide eyed expression the chunin gave Naruto pulled gales of laughter from the blonde.

"You can cook?"

Naruto smothered very unmanly giggles and snorts at the incredulity in his sensei's voice. "Yeah. Been able to for a while, Sensei."

Puzzlement and a little bit of worry riddled Iruka's mind; recalling all the times Naruto declined learning to cook from him.

"Who taught you?"

Naruto calmed down and smiled mischievously. "Come to dinner at my place and you'll find out."

Iruka scowled as a thought struck him. "Are you trying to set me up on a date or something, Naruto?"

The blonde's amused visage did nothing to ease the chunins suspicions. If Iruka wasn't familiar with the Blonde's signature he would be calling imposter by now. Naruto was behaving very out of character.

Iruka had noticed minute changes in his young friend—changes he could not pin to any specific time. Most obvious were the physical changes; no longer did bones bite Iruka's hand when he clasped the child's shoulders. Less obvious was the boy's temperament. It was only this year that Iruka had noticed that Naruto's boisterousness was no longer as genuine as it once had been.

"Do you want me to bring anything?" Iruka finally agreed, pushing aside his worries for now.

Naruto seemed to relax, alerting the scarred man that the boy had been nervous of rejection. "You might want to bring something to drink. My tea selection isn't very good."

Iruka snorted. "Of course it isn't." The boy's pantry was usually bare of anything but cup ramen.

"Dinner will be ready in an hour. I've got Kage Bunshin cooking," Naruto explained at his elder's skeptical look.

"Well why don't you head home. I'll be over in a bit."

Closing the door behind his former student, Iruka set about catching up on chores and reflecting on Naruto's behaviour. The teen had been off since last night's encounter with Mizuki. It shouldn't be surprising. The boy had, after all, learned the secret many people hated him for.

Maybe Naruto wasn't handling last night as well as he thought he was and that was the reason for the sudden invitation. And who was this person Naruto wanted to introduce him to?

All the way through struggling with his hair and locking up the house, the Chunin wracked his brain for any conversations about people Naruto claimed as important. Beyond the Hokage, Teichu, and Ayame, Iruka couldn't think of anyone else.

Arriving at Naruto's apartment, Iruka felt the familiar bite of sorrow at the sight of the latest graffiti across the boys' door. Sighing he knocked.

It was not Naruto who answered.

"Shojikina-san?"

The career genin smiled at the bewilderment in the Chunin's voice. "Umino-san, welcome. Naruto is setting the table."

Iruka dumbly entered and replaced his shoes with the house slippers Naruto kept for him. Trying to process the implications of the woman's presence in Naruto's home.

Shojikina Aioka was a Career Genin. A good one. Many times over his years at the Mission Desk Iruka had wondered why the woman hadn't advanced. Any mission she ever did came back with glowing remarks and perfect reports. She was among his favorites to receive reports from because he never had to make her do it over.

Following the woman into the kitchen Iruka took in the second shock of the night. The table was covered with delicious smelling food. Miso soup, rice, pickled vegetables, and even sushi. However, it was Naruto himself that was the most surprising. The boy had shed his orange jumpsuit and forewent any headgear. For a moment Iruka saw a completely different person.

"Naruto, are you wearing a henge?"

The grin and chuckle seemed strangely out of place to Iruka. It was not Naruto's usual smile or laugh, both lacked the mischievousness Iruka always associated with the boys' amusement.

"No, Sensei, I don't bother to wear a henge when I'm home." Naruto answered then glanced between the kunoichi and him. "Do you know Aioka-nee, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka nodded, distracted by Naruto's previous statement. Did that mean Naruto wore a henge when in public? "Not formally. I've seen Shojikina-san while working at the Missions Desk."

The boy nodded then motioned toward the stove. "Water is hot. Did you bring your tea?"

Iruka snapped out of his thoughts and regained his mental footing. Whatever was going on he would learn before he left tonight. "Hai, I can make it if you like."

Naruto agreed with a sheepish smile. "I can cook but brewing tea seems to be my nemesis. Aioka-nee has given up trying to teach me."

The woman made an amused noise as she passed Iruka the teapot from its place on the table. "I have watched him do every step perfectly and the tea still comes out closer to poison than something palatable."

Iruka laughed when Naruto whined. He pretended there wasn't relief in that laugh because there was the Naruto he knew. And continued to laugh as the woman gleefully retold the many mishaps the blonde had had in the kitchen. Before Iruka knew it they were halfway through their meal, still happily swapping stories about each other interacting with the blonde.

"By the way, Naruto," Iruka began, wiping away tears of laughter, "the current food is amazing. I'm glad I didn't have to suffer through your early attempts."

Naruto beamed and pouted in turns, drawing more chuckles from the adults.

"When did you start teaching him, Aioka-san?" sometime during the meal they had given the other permission to drop formalities.

Aioka smiled fondly at the whiskered boy. "Four years ago; he's come a long way."

Iruka mentally grabbed that information. Hadn't he been thinking earlier that he couldn't pinpoint when Naruto had started to change.

"So you're the reason Naruto's been different."

Naruto looked startled but the woman just smiled, approval warming her eyes. "I thought you would notice."

"You knew?"

Naruto and Aioka glanced each other for speaking at the same time but were quick to look back at Iruka for his reply.

The hope and fear in Naruto's voice was a little insulting. Did he expect Iruka to toss him aside after everything they've gone through together?

"Of course I've noticed, knucklehead. You're important to me."

The relief and glistening eyes was startling. Naruto wiped away the tears before they fell, rasping out a thank you.

"Why don't you two go in the living room and talk? I'll clean up," Aioka offered, smiling fondly at the thankful look Naruto sent her.

* * *

The day was well over when Aioka and Iruka left Naruto's. For a while they walked in silence, Iruka having insisted on walking her home. She was not thrilled about letting him know where she was living but was going to accept it. Naruto would want her to answer anything the man asked.

Aioka was still uncomfortable with this situation and it was to her chagrin that it had absolutely nothing to do with worry for Naruto. She had been ready for professional scrutiny from the Hokage when she delivered the petition on behalf of her Corp—something she and her Lieutenants had been crafting for the better part of a year. This personal change was off putting.

"Thank you." Aioka glanced to her right. Iruka was looking straight ahead. "Thank you for doing what I was too cowardly to do."

"I wouldn't call it cowardly," she replied after a moment. "You have managed something many villagers haven't even attempted." She smiled at his puzzled look. "You've separated the Jail from the Prisoner. I'm sure you have lost people that night but you no longer hold that over his head. That is a courageous thing."

"Why did you choose to help Naruto?" Iruka asked, breaking the comfortable silence once again.

"I was Naruto in my village; minus a prisoner," Aioka said simply, deciding honesty was the best policy for the evening. "Ever since I escaped that hell, I refuse to see another treated how I was. No child deserves to be punished for circumstances beyond their understanding or control."

"Has Naruto taken you to meet the Hokage?"

Aioka shook her head—not too surprised by the abrupt change in conversations. The Hokage, after all, was for all appearance Naruto's most important person. Why wouldn't Naruto want to have his Important people meet?

"No; Naruto took my challenge to make a mask as far as he could. He thought if he could keep secrets from the ones he held the most dear, he would be ' _the best ninja in the world, believe it!_ " She snorted at her own impression of an eight year old Naruto.

"He doesn't do anything by halves does he?" Iruka mused rhetorically

Aioka gave a bark of laughter and answered anyway. "No, he doesn't." The boy grabbed onto her lessons and took them as far as he could and then some.

Stopping in front of her home, Aioka faced the chunin. "Naruto and I usually share dinner most nights. You are more than welcome to join us." As soon as the words left her mouth Aioka felt that she had just broke some social rule. And judging by the startled expression and blush on the man's face, she definitely had.

 _You'd think after six year I would have a grasp of social propriety. But noooo,_ Aioka thought to herself despairingly and stifled all embarrassment from leaking into her body language.

"Aa, perhaps. Thank you for the invitation, Aioka-san."

Aioka inwardly cringed at the awkwardness she unintentionally caused. "Have a good night, Iruka-san."

Once out of sight and safely in her home, Aioka buried her face in her hands as a blush burned her cheeks. That right there was why she did not bother trying to make more friends. Once she attempted to cross the professional line she was more awkward than an ox calf learning to walk.

Hopefully constant embarrassment wasn't in her immediate future. She had more than enough of that while in the Academy.


	11. 010 Team 7 and Sparring

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

 **A/N** : I'm back!

Updates should resume to every other wednesday now. Enjoy!

* * *

During the week after graduation, leading up to team placements, Naruto assisted Aioka around the HQ. He sat in on all of her meetings—taking notes on how she handled disagreements between Divisions—and helped administer two _Mandatory Skills Evaluations_ or MSE's. The meetings showed Naruto the reality of what being a leader meant and introduced him to the horror that was paperwork.

The blonde had been peripherally aware of the administrative side of Aioka's work, but hadn't truly comprehended the importance of the paperwork she never seemed to be done with—nor how much effort went into communication between the division lieutenants.

Naruto participated in his own version of MSE's every once in a while. His MSE focused primarily on Chakra control while general MSE's covered theory, taijutsu, village familiarity, and Academy skills.

As of his last evaluation, Naruto was able to make a ten Kage bunshin with half the amount of smoke he made when he first learned, and a single clone with no smoke. He could also perform Kawarimi with one less hand sign than the jutsu was taught with. Considering his ever growing chakra pool, Naruto was pleased with his control.

MSE's were a means of ensuring individual training was being maintained and also a way for Corp genin to advance rank, so to speak. The genin corp had two official ranks: genin and genin commander. Unofficially there were: Recruits, Privates, Captains, and Lieutenants.

The MSE's tested genin on their mastery of their knowledge. For a Recruit to become a Private, they must be able to (a) effectively use Academy taught jutsu in a spar against an existing Private, (b) defeat a Private with a team, and (c) get full marks on a written test on Academy theory.

The first thing the Corp did when receiving fresh graduates, was a series of tests to determine what their overall skill level was—different from MSE's only in the fact it was to assess what the genin _did not_ know and not what they had mastered. Mornings were dedicated to physical tests, gauging strength and endurance, trapping skills, katas, weapons, etc. An hour was given for lunch at noon followed by a written test that ended whenever the graduate finished. The written test covered everything from first year to fourth year theory, history, and whatever else was paper applicable. It was a week long process that occured every six months, or whenever a jonin failed a graduating team.

* * *

It was day four of the skill evaluation—during the written portion—when Aioka felt Naruto enter the HQ. When the boy landed by her side, all but snarling in aggravation, and demanding how he could help she simply motioned to a random graduate and asked him tell her about him.

For the next hour and a half, Naruto observed the stressed graduates and carefully compiled verbal reports about the individuals based on what he saw. It was an exercise Aioka employed to teach her corp how to properly analyze those around them. Usually a genin would spend a day people watching and make a written report on those they saw then validate their reasonings with hard facts.

Gradually Naruto's roiling agitation settled into exasperated resignation.

"My Teammates are Idiots."

Aioka's lips twitched, both at the blunt statement from the boy next to her and the rather impressive attempts to cheat happening among the recruits. Cheating was not discouraged because it taught stealth and was useful later on, however it was critiqued. "How so?"

Two days ago Iruka had announced team formations—Naruto had not be been amused with his teammates or sensei.

The following account of Naruto's day was equally amusing as it was troubling. The new team had done two simple D-ranks and had utterly failed them. Oh, they got the work done, but Aioka could only imagine the bad review the client would give.

According to Naruto, Haruno Sakura had talked more than she had worked and had constantly been fretting about her hands and hair.

How had she made Kunoichi of the year? From both Naruto's reports and Aioka's own observations of the girl, there was little to recommend her beyond her—questionable—intelligence.

The Uchiha had sneered at both Naruto and Haruno-san, and gave the client a cold shoulder when addressed.

"Give your Sensei time, Kit," she advised. Hopefully the Jonin would be able to make something out of the other two. "As unorthodox as the Jonin seems, he is among the best the village has."

Naruto acknowledged the statement with scowl. "Iruka-sensei said the same thing yesterday. I don't see it."

Aioka gently bopped him on the head. "Think, Kit. Why would a Jonin of his caliber act the way he does?"

When Naruto had told her who his sensei was she had listened to the boy gripe for nearly fifteen minutes before she threw him out with the orders to go do research on the man.

She knew a lot about the Hatake. He was one of the first signatures she memorized. It was hard not to when the man spent so much time at the Memorial stone atop the Hokage Monument near where she stretched her Senses. Since he was among the first, he was one she put out more effort to learn about. Doubly so, due to how hard it had been to get concrete facts on him. The Jonin's mask ran deep and had so many facets Aioka wasn't sure where it stopped and the man began.

"To make a fool of himself?"

Aioka gave the boy a flat look. Unimpressed by the thoughtless comment. "Really?"

Naruto grimaced, actually thought about it and promptly groaned. "I just called myself a fool didn't I?"

"In a roundabout way; yes, yes you did."

Naruto smiled distractedly as he mulled over this revelation. His Jonin-sensei wore more than just the mask that obscured his face; he wore a Mask much like Naruto's own.

The Jinchuriki wondered if the older man's mask was more than to make people underestimate and dismiss him. His own Mask of Pranking Idiot hadn't been a mask at one time. Was it the same for the Jonin? Did the man use a facet of his personality to hide the shinobi?

Naruto supposed he would just have to find out.

Aioka smirked in approval when she saw a sharp, slow, smile cross the young shinobi's face. The boy was thinking again.

 **A:CG**

It wasn't often that he felt genuine surprise. Feigning such expressions was far more normal than the real thing; which was probably why it took him a moment to recognize the emotion.

Uzumaki Naruto, Dead Last, King of Pranks, had a Mask. One so good the Copy-nin had missed it for two weeks.

Kakashi resolutely ignored the fact that for those two weeks it was all he could do to call his Genin by their names, and not that of the ghosts that overlaid everything they did. If the blonde hadn't slipped up yesterday, Kakashi was sure he would still be drowning in his past.

Flipping the page of a book discussing child psychology—hidden in the sleeve of his favorite Icha Icha— Kakashi wondered when Naruto had developed his mask. Most shinobi formed masks as coping methods at some point, but it had been a long time since Kakashi had seen a mask on one so young. Since the Third War ended, shinobi began developing their masks later and later in life.

Naruto's slip had been for a moment—blue eyes flashed, features smoothed to nothing, muscles deceptively loose and still, the promise of annihilation charging the air—and then the obnoxious idiot returned. That moment had taken Kakashi to another time and place when such an expression had ended in the deaths of Konoha's enemies.

The boy had caught his attention.

Watching that brat now, Kakashi had to remind himself that 'yes' he really had seen something yesterday because the idiocy on display was making it difficult to remember. Today their mission was one he had to request in advance, as it was not usually offered to Jonin-track genin teams.

Kakashi wanted to gauge how well his Genin did with unreasonable demands from clients. The old woman they would be working for was an embittered widow with no family. Her spouse had secured her care through repetitive D-rank missions paid by some investments he had made while alive. She was notorious for being particular with how things were to be done.

The mission was awful.

The woman refused to acknowledge Naruto (unsurprising) which led to Sakura asking questions and making speculations. The girl berated Naruto and demanded that he apologize for whatever he done to offend the old woman.

Sasuke refused to speak when spoken to, though he did follow the woman's directions reasonably well.

The blonde was mostly his normal self, if a hair quieter and considerably less confrontational.

Once the mission was done Kakashi was quick to usher his team out of the civilian district. All three of his genin needed better social etiquette. Under the circumstance Naruto had done as well as his mask allowed him by not antagonizing their client. Sakura's behavior was the most disappointing because, of the three, she was the most normal and should have behaved. Sasuke's cold demeanor was going to have to be buried if the boy didn't want to get hugely reprimanded in the future.

A wave of weary bitterness suddenly washed over the Jonin. Who was he to correct them? He couldn't even correct his own flaws, how could he ask his students to do what he himself was unwilling to do?

Entering the Missions Office brought a sense of relief to the Jonin, as his thoughts were distracted by habitual scanning his surroundings.

A team of Corp Genin were just walking away from returning their mission scroll—they appeared to have just return from an outpost run if their packs were any indicator—four Jonin were receiving missions, and a chunin team were turning in their completed mission.

A subtle change in one of his student drew Kakashi's attention; Naruto had relaxed from his exaggerated pout and was exchanging silent greetings with the team of career genin.

The genin were nondescript but something about the lone kunoichi kept drawing Kakashi's attention, even as he handed over the missions scroll.

The woman was forgettable as many career kunoichi were yet Kakashi's instincts would not allow him to completely dismiss her. As he stepped away from the missions desk, he tried to catch her scent but with so many unfamiliar people in the room it was impossible for him to pick hers out.

"Neh, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi looked down at Naruto, his gaze far more lazy than he felt as he tracked the departing genin team. "Hmm?"

"I want you guys to meet someone."

Kakashi was torn between curiosity and irritation. He wanted to stalk—ah, _investigate_ the genin kunoichi but this offer into Naruto's personal life was unexpected.

So Kakashi shrugged his agreement and had to stifle a grin—and a stab of pain—when the blonde gave a grin that was reminiscent of a certain redhead Kakashi once knew.

"Come on, she's waiting for us outside."

"Who, Dobe?" Sasuke grouched as he and Sakura fell in behind the blonde.

Kakashi followed behind his cute little genin, acknowledging various shinobi they passed with miniscule movements and making note of any who looked at Naruto with less than neutral expressions. His trapping and sabotage skills were getting a little dusty, perhaps he would brush them up later.

Exiting the tower Kakashi mentally paused when Naruto trotted up to the genin team he had greeted earlier. The team of four greeted his student with a mix of professional and personal familiarity. That professionalism remained when he approached with his other two students.

This was very interesting.

Naruto grinned as he did introductions."Aioka-nee, this is my Jonin-sensei Hatake Kakashi and my teammates, Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. Guys this is Shojikina Aioka," the kunoichi smiled politely with a nod, "Buske Noki," a shinobi with sharp eyes, "Yuzu Deidre," a shinobi who was favoring his left ankle, "and Mosaki Kei."

The last shinobi was gazing at Naruto like he wasn't sure what to make of him, suggesting to Kakashi the young man hadn't met Naruto yet.

With the introductions out of the way, Kakashi lifted a hand in a typical two finger salute. "Yo."

The kunoichi's smile was refreshingly polite and lacking in fangirling. "Hello Team 7."

The young men bowed and echoed the greeting.

"I didn't know you knew Naruto, Shojikina-san," Sakura said, curiosity in her face.

"Hai, Naruto is very familiar to the Genin Corp," the kunoichi's teasing smile and hair ruffle spoke of far more familiarity than simple acquaintances. "You could say he's somewhat of job security for us."

Naruto scowled at the teasing but did not hide the pleased gleam in his eyes at the affection he was being shown.

The kunoichi snorted at the boy's expression once and Kakashi found himself meeting the kunoichi's copper eyes. The first thing that struck the Jonin was the complete lack of nervousness that usually shadowed most people's eyes when they met him. The second was that Kakashi would eat Gai's Curry of Life if this woman was actually a simple career genin. He had met very few Jonin who could hide their signature as thoroughly as this kunoichi was.

"Naruto-kun came to me last week to arrange a spar between Team 7 and one of my own. I told him that was up to you."

Kakashi blinked languidly and settled more fully into his customary slouch while he thought. That wasn't a bad idea. His team did need more experience sparring as a team and it might help boost their confidence in each other if they spar a team they could beat. And it would give him an opportunity to study the Kunoichi more.

"Maa, one of your teams, Shojikina-san?"

The phrasing made it sound as if the kunoichi had more than one. As far as he knew, career genin didn't have assigned teams that they could claim as 'theirs', usually career genin were thrown into random teams at the mission desk. Or maybe things had changed. It had been a while since he had paid career genin more than a passing glance.

The kunoichi dipped her head in acknowledgement. "Hai, career genin who take C-ranks require more training than those who stay in village. I make sure that they have a better chance coming home in one piece if things go south."

Kakashi glanced at the three shinobi standing quietly behind her; who were being surprisingly subtle about their discretion with their awed glances was appreciated. Most people were not so polite with their hero worship.

The three were covered in dust from whatever mission they had just completed but did not appear tired. Kakashi wondered how often career genin didn't come back. A morbid curiosity over took the jonin and he decided he would look into it. He wasn't so much of an ass as to ask outright.

"Is later this afternoon convenient?"

The woman looked at her team, all three gave various motions of agreement, before answering. "I'm meeting my tou-san for lunch; two hours from now alright Hatake-san?"

"Sound perfect."

The woman bowed lightly. "Thank you Hatake-san."

With a lackadaisical wave he acknowledged her thanks and then dismissed his team. "Training Ground 7, Shojikina-san." With that said, he sought the nearest ANBU on village patrol. He had a Genin to learn.

* * *

Aioka turned to her team-absently noting that Naruto's Jonin-sensei was with Azakoda Sorra, an ANBU who regularly kept watch in village-and clapped Noki's shoulder. "I'm going to lunch."

The wiry young man smirked and dipped his chin slightly in acknowledgement that she was leaving him in charge. "We will meet you at Training Ground 7 in two hours, Taicho."

Nodding in approval, she left them to scout out their opponents and the meeting place. The three were the second team she trained after joining the Corp. As individuals, each had trained up a team or two but prefered working together.

Slipping her hands into her pockets, the copper eyed genin lazily made her way to the Akimichi restaurant she and her father loved.

This would be the first time in almost a month that the two of them had seen each other. Between both their schedules it was difficult to make time to meet.

Shikoru had made Jonin six months ago and had endured a string of back to back missions since then. Missions that left the Nara in a perpetual state of physical and emotional exhaustion. As an observer, Shikoru was often called on by nobility for petty reasons. Was that spouse really faithful? Is that servant stealing from me? Is that heir doing what they are told?

Shikoru disliked dealing with nobles but it was always interesting to him to puzzle together how individuals worked.

As she arrived at the restaurant, Aioka felt Kakashi's signature settle near by. It seemed the man was going to stalk her.

Mentally shrugging, Aioka dismissed the thought and smiled as she stepped into the familiar establishment.

"Aioka-chan."

"Hi Aioka-chan."

Several of the staff called their welcome and she waved and called her own greetings as she went to her usual booth.

Nara Shikoru stood from their usual seat, a lazy smile on his lips. "Hello Yurei-chan."

Aioka stepped into his offered embrace with a quiet sigh, mild everyday tension slipping away as she pressed her face into his shoulder. "Missed you tou-san."

Shikoru tightened his embraced and dropped a kiss on his daughters' bandanna covered hair. "You too," he murmured before stepping away. "What team were you leading today?"

Aioka chuckled as they sat. It hadn't taken her father figure long to decipher the meaning behind how she wore her Hitai-ate when she first implemented the new dress code. Today, her Hitai-ate was telling him that she was leading teams—when she wore it on her forehead in the traditional fashion it meant she was part of a team but acting as support rather than a leader. A role she usually took to assess one of her genin's leadership skills.

"My second one. We will be sparing with Team 7, later today."

For the next hour they shared a meal and traded details about their lives since the last time they saw each other. Between new recruits and meeting Iruka, Aioka had a lot to say. Shikoru caught her up on how Ichika and Mikimaru were doing. Mikimaru had arrived in the little family's lives four months ago.

"Thank you tou-san," Aioka sighed in content, wishing for a moment that she had the Nara name to get away with a nap. "Lunch was fantastic."

Shikoru smiled lightly, his body lounging loosely in the booth across from her. "Anytime Yurei-chan. Bring the Kit by tonight. Ichika-chan misses you two and the boy hasn't met Miki-chan yet."

Aioka hummed an acknowledgement. Naruto came with her to visit her parents as often as he could but hadn't since Miki-chan was born a few months ago. "Well, off I go," she groaned happily as she stretched.

Shikoru tilted his head back as she stood, a little too comfortable to move just yet. "Be safe, tell those boys I say hello."

Aioka dropped a kiss on his cheek. "Will do."

"Yurei-chan." Aioka paused a few steps away. "You're ghosting again."

The woman huffed sheepishly and pushed her signature out, privately amused when Hatake flinched a little across the street. "Thanks tou-san."

A quick trip via rooftops took Aioka to training ground 7, where her shinobi teammates were lightly stretching. Sweat beading on their skin as a tell tale sign of a recently finished warm up.

"How was Nara-san, Taicho?" Noki inquired, leaning his head on the ground while sitting in a full splits.

Aioka gently pressed Kei's lower back forward and down, aiding him in his stretch. "Pleasant; he says hello. Deidre, flatten out, you're rounding your back."

The young man obeyed with a low groan, trying to press his belly into the ground without breaking from the splits. Aioka noted that he had taken the time to get his ankle healed. He had twisted it on the way home goofing off with Noki.

Due to their build and muscle mass, Kei and Deidre had difficulty staying flexible compared to the more compact and wiry Noki.

"What are our limits in this spar?"

Aioka release Kei when the three changed stretches and idly began twirling a shuriken with chakra, rolling the weapon over and between her fingers. It was a mindless exercises for her.

"Don't hospitalize them. Other than that I don't care. Naruto-kun wants his team to see what teamwork looks like and we want a potential Jonin sponsor for the Exams."

Various Runners and Scouts had picked up conversations about the Chunin Exams being hosted in Konoha early last year and had confirmed the event shortly after Naruto's graduation. It was Aioka's hope that if enough of her teams got sponsors/vouchers, and a well crafted petition was given, that the Hokage would allow Corp Teams to participate. She had been working on the petition since the first rumors and had been combing through it with various clan friends for the last week.

"Is Hatake-san aware of that?" Noki inquired, pulling an arm across his chest to stretch a shoulder.

"Probably."

The three gave their Commander a dry look. To most, Aioka's tone would pass off as nonchalant but these three had been with her long enough to read her more subtle inflections. At the moment she was amused and mocking the Jonin hiding in the trees behind them for accepting a spar against a team he knew nothing about. They probably wouldn't have sensed the man if they hadn't been Aioka's students, but Aioka had insisted that anyone she trained personally pick up some form of sensing, be it chakra, scent, sound, or sight. It helped that the man wasn't bothering to hide his signature all that much in the first place.

With various sounds of amusement the three sat down to meditate until Team 7 arrived. Aioka learned meditation from Shikoru when she was younger as an alternative to chakra depletion that her birth father had taught her. Meditation had many uses; ranging from calming tempers to increasing chakra reserves, and was the most undervalued exercise at a shinobi's disposal.

The three shinobi were using meditation to review what they knew and had learned about their opponents.

* * *

Five minutes before the two hours were up, Haruno Sakura arrived to a scene she found at odds with her preconceived notions of kunoichi. As an inexperienced civilian girl, Sakura had never seen a kunoichi train and had developed the belief that kunoichi never trained with boys around. Because of this belief she felt her sensei was being unreasonable in making her sweat in front of Sasuke-kun. It never really crossed her mind about _when_ , or _how_ , other kunoichi trained.

So, the sight of Shojikina Aioka—a career genin she had grown up seeing chatting with people in the market—doing push ups from a handstand while her teammates sat napping was strange.

Hesitating a few yards off, the pinkette watched the older kunoichi with growing curiosity. Were those Kunai balanced on her feet?

Sasuke's arrival effectively took Sakura's attention away from the older kunoichi, just as she was starting to puzzle out how a person built up to doing such an exercise.

* * *

Aioka bent her knees and lowered her feet by her head, allowing the weapons to dangle from a thread of chakra for a moment before dropping them and standing up via a walk over. Vertical push ups had lost their challenge years ago but combining the exercise with balancing kunai without chakra was a different story.

Behind her, Noki and the other two came out of their meditation to greet the younger genin and Naruto when he came barrelling into the area a moment later.

For the next hour, the seven genin waited for Kakashi to join them. During this time the Career Genin introduce Kage Bunshin Shogi to Team 7. Aioka had invented the game to better help Naruto understand the game. Having something a little more physically interactive had help the blonde immensely.

Kei and Sakura were in the middle of a game when the silver haired man finally appeared.

"Hatake-san," Aioka greeted after Naruto and Sakura were done yelling at him.

The masked shinobi gave a lazy two finger salute in reply. "Alright my cute little Genin," Kakashi cheerfully turned to his students, "Shojikina-san and I are going to plan you torture. Warm up."

The three preteens obeyed, the older three mimicking them to loosen up, and Aioka followed the Jonin out of unenhanced hearing range.

"Has your team sparred Jonin track genin before?"

Aioka shrugged faintly, "Naruto spars regularly with a number of my Genin." As did a number of branch members of various clans Aioka was on friendly terms with but the Jonin didn't need to know that.

"Individual spars first then," Kakashi said only to read Aioka's dissatisfaction at his announcement. "You disagree."

A loose shrug echoed her Nara influences. "I try to make spars as close to genuine combat as I can. In reality you won't have the opportunity to preview your opponent's skills."

The brow relaxed and his onyx eye became deceptively lazy and assessing. Aioka wondered what the man was thinking but remained unperturbed by the famous Jonin's regard.

"Sounds good," the masked jonin conceded. With that said, the duo returned to the waiting Genin and Kakashi set the rules.

"Stay in the training ground. All skills allowed. Don't kill each other. First team with two members unable to continue wins. Hajime."

Before Team 7 had coiled themselves to leap away, all three were face first in the dirt with shinobi on their backs and kunai at their throats.

Kakashi blinked slowly. "That was awful Team 7. Team Shojikina, wait two minutes before engaging."

The younger men voiced their agreement and helped their even younger opponents up. Sakura was dazed, Sasuke irritated, and Naruto pouting.

"Go."

* * *

After the allotted time Kakashi watched his team get decimated repeatedly by the older Genin. The Career Genin never used the same tactics twice; twisting Sasuke and Sakura into psychological knots with mild KI and taunts. The boys had solid teamwork. If Kakashi didn't know otherwise, he would say they were a seasoned chunin cell. Other than Ebisu, Kakashi had never seen E and D rank ninjutsu used with such mastery, or creativity. More often than not the teens never used hand seals. A sign of hours of training not many shinobi dedicated to one, let alone half a dozen, jutsu.

Kakashi also learned about seven different ways to use Fire Flicker, an E-Rank Fire Jutsu.

The older genin drove Sakura to every end of the emotional spectrum with their usage of henge. Forcing her to spar Sasuke look alikes or Yamanaka Ino and, in one instance, a civilian man with bazaar purple pink hair. Each henge was accompanied by impressive acting skills that reflected the one they were imitating.

With Sasuke they henged into random females and acted as fangirls. Driving the boy into fits of embarrassment and rage. It was very disturbing when Kakashi recalled that the henged girls were in fact teenage boys. He was also relieved that they did not attempt to impersonate Uchiha. That would have severe consequences for the last Uchiha's psych.

Naruto tried to assist his teammates but was dismissed as a non threat by the older genin. The Jonin winced at the screaming rant that the blonde spewed but thought he saw amusement in the whiskered blonde's eyes.

The three young men were frighteningly familiar with his Teams' buttons.

When they moved on to individual spars, Kakashi let Aioka lead at her request and admired her methods. Under her, the spars weren't the directionless slug outs he usually allowed. They were an exercises of analysis, KI desensitization, and temper control. Every time a spar ended Aioka had the observing genin give an analysis of the two sparring. What could they have done better? What exercises could they do to improve?

Throughout the spars Aioka leaked KI of varying intensity and made anyone who lost their composure stop and tell her why. When either Sasuke or Sakura got out of line she would look to him briefly. When he failed to step in she bluntly told them to shut up.

Kakashi was glad his book was up to hide the way he choked. The shock on his genin's faces was hilarious, though the lack of Naruto defending his teammates disturbed him.

It was clear that Aioka's students were miles ahead of his own. They would not get his sponsorship—he _had_ listened to their conversations earlier—but he would put in a recommendation...after he figured out when the Corp had been permitted to participate in the Chunin Exams and why hadn't he known about it.

After his team left Kakashi listened as the Career Genin debriefed. The shinobi reported what they had done the moment they had left the tower. Which was not the hanging out that Kakashi had expected. The boys had gathered intel on his team and had used what they learned to win.

His team had never stood a chance. A rueful and bitter smile twisted beneath his mask; he had learned far more than he thought he would and none of it was what he thought it would be.

"Hatake-san?"

Kakashi came out of his thoughts, noting that he and Aioka were alone. "You are an excellent teacher, Shojikina-san."

The woman smiled politely, the expression giving away nothing of her thoughts. "Thank you. Do you have any questions?"

He did, but he would rather figure them out then ask. "No, I have a lot to think about already."

Aioka dipped her head in acknowledgement. "If you want another spar, any of my Corp are available. Just ask." With that invitation the woman left at a leisurely walk.

Shunshinning to his flat, Kakashi noted that the kunoichi had referred to the Genin Corp as 'hers'.

"Just who are you, Shojikina Aioka?"


	12. 011 Family and Worries

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

 **A/N:** Hey, an early post!

Thank you all for your reviews! They give me the boost I need when a chapter is fighting me.

I know you guys aren't too thrilled with my slow updates so I'll tell you what. I'll start posting every Wednesday that I can until I run out of chapters. Please remember (I did tell you this right?) that I travel a lot with my husband's work, so don't freak out if I miss a week on occassion ;) I'll do my best to let you know ahead of time if I'm going to miss a week.

Uncertain

* * *

Aioka smirked at the dead-to-the-world heap on her couch. It had been a week since Naruto asked for a spar between his team and hers. Since then, the blonde was exhausted like he hadn't been since his first month learning from Aioka. Apparently, his sensei had liked her sparring methods and had taken a more active approach to his team's training.

Pulling a throw blanket from a linen closet to cover Naruto with, the woman contemplated the paperwork she brought home. For the sake of efficiency (and her sanity), she usually delegated it to her Lieutenants. Bills went to Financing, vacation requests to Scheduling etc. Aioka received summaries from each department every month and frequently met with the Enforcement Division to ensure it was being run as it should. Aioka was anal about ensuring her Enforcer's weren't abusing their positions.

The paperwork she had brought home didn't belong to any specific division—rather it belong to the Corp as a whole.

Early last year Runners and Scouts picked up rumors around T&I about Konoha hosting the Chunin Exams for the first time in almost ten years. Aioka wanted to take the advantage of this and present the Hokage a petition to allow a number of her Trainers and Scouts to participate in the hopes that they would be promoted. In the passed ten years the Genin Corp had fully recovered from the depletion it had suffered during the Third War and was nearly over populated.

The petition was finally complete. She had signed it just last night and all that was left to do was address it to the Hokage and send it off. Her father had already gone over it and deemed it as perfect as it could be. So had a number of other clan friends Aioka had made over the years. Yet she still could not bring herself to seal it.

Once it left her hands, there was no going back. All the work she had put into the Corp would be brought to light. For better or for worse, Aioka knew her life rested in the hands of the Hokage.

A familiar signature drew Aioka from her darkening thoughts and brought a fond smile to her lips. Setting the petition down, the twenty-four year old went to open her door before a knock could wake her worn out companion.

"Tou-san, welcome," Aioka murmured warmly, keeping her voice low..

Shikoru looked confused at her volume only to huff a chuckle when she motioned to the motionless lump on her couch. "Ichika-chan has invited you and Naruto to dinner. My teammates, their families, and a few of Ichika's friends will be there too."

Aioka smiled fondly. Shikoru's teammates: an Akimichi kunoichi named Hisa, and a Yamanaka shinobi named Kazuo—both of minor branches of their clans, therefore foregoing the main branch tradition of having 'Cho' or 'Ino' as a part of their names (Nara's had it easy; the tag 'Maru' went with everything)—were like an aunt and uncle to Aioka. She was pretty sure Naruto would get along with them and their children without a problem.

"We will be there. Would you like anything?" she asked, ushering him into the kitchen.

Shikoru declined, smiling fondly when a whistling snore escaped the sleeping Jinchuriki.

The boy had blossomed under Aioka's guidance. The transformation was wonderful to watch. The control the boy was gaining over himself was astounding and the changes in his behavior were gradual (or hidden) enough that no one but those closest to him would notice.

A faint blur in the Nara's vision drew him from the mindless wandering of both his thoughts and eyes. For a moment the shadow user stared at the kitchen window. Why was there a genjutsu on Aioka's window?

"Yurei-chan?"

"Hmm?"

Shikoru glanced curiously at the glass.

"Ah, Hatake-san has taken an interest in my relationship with Naruto." Aioka gave her father a dry look when something like displeasure crossed his face. "It's about time someone started getting nosy, Tou-san. It's rather concerning I've managed to do so much without anyone noticing."

Shikoru agreed with his daughter. He was both proud and perturbed that she had managed reform the Genin Corp without interference. However, he couldn't help be feel protective and annoyed by his eldests' stalker. Hatake Kakashi did have a reputation of being a pervert.

"I'll wake Naruto. Should I bring anything?"

Shikoru snorted, momentarily distracted from plotting contingencies if the Hatake hurt his little girl. "You know the answer to that. Stop asking."

Aioka laughed and went to wake her young friend. Ichika demanded that Aioka leave any and all food preparation to her when Aioka came over; insisting that Aioka worked hard enough that she shouldn't have to cook any more often than she had to. Aioka knew that if she let her, the older woman would cook every day for her.

Later, the Genin Commander watched Naruto interact with her adopted family and Ichika's guests. It was a pleasure watching the initial caution he had toward strangers fade away as they welcomed him and encouraged him to play with their boy had an inherently joyful disposition that quickly won over those who were willing to see beyond what society forced on the boy. By the time the visit was over, the kids were exhausted from playing ninja with Naruto and the parents pleased that bed time would be an easy affair.

"That was fun, nee-chan," Naruto said between jaw cracking yawns. Normally, when he visited Shikoru-ji and Ichika-baachan, it was just the four of them. Meeting other branch members of different clans had been interesting and a little intimidating. It was especially awesome that he got to see his new imouto again.

"My family adores you, if you can't tell. I think Kaa-chan just about melted watching you play with Miki-chan," Aioka teased, smiling at the boys' pleased blush.

"I like babies." Naruto's grin dimmed as he added, "But most people won't let me near them."

Suppressing the usual bite of anger toward the populence, Aioka wrapped an arm around the preteen's shoulders. "If I ever have kids, you will get first dibs on babysitting duties."

The startled laugh of delight out of the Jinchuriki was exactly what Aioka wanted.

"Where are you staying tonight: my place or yours, Kit?"

 **A:CG**

The next morning found Aioka in her training field—the same one she and her academy friends once met in—running through self-made katas.

Hatake Kakashi was steadily getting bolder with his stalking: He spent all day shadowing her at HQ two days ago. That day, she had been standing in for one of the chakra instructors and had been talking the new recruits through their misconceptions about chakra theory and usage.

Earlier this morning, before Naruto left to wait at training ground 7, the Jounin had been around to see her drilling Naruto on his chakra control by having him spar one of her shadow clones on the ceiling of HQ's meeting hall. The Jounin's emotions had been rather all over the place while watching them.

Grunting as she stumbled a landing, Aioka sighed and made a bunshin to watch her repeat the movement and then act as a dummy. Once she was satisfied that she had corrected the movement she dismissed the Bunshin and allowed her mind to wander as she moved through the next kata.

She had delivered the petition on her way to her training ground. It was now a waiting game to see what would happen.

This discovery was a long time coming and she was a worried about how certain members of the upper echelon would react to how much she had reformed the Genin Corp.

Over the years she had built strong ties with branch members of the Aburame, Kurama, Hoki, and a number of ninja families who didn't qualify for Clan status. When they were alive, Aioka also had a good rapport with the Uchiha police.

The council, whenever she would have to deal with them, wouldn't be able to do much to her without angering the bulk of the civilians and the branch members of several notable clans. Her Academy friends had been a large help in getting her foot in the door to make those connections. The council—even the Hokage—would have to tread carefully to not piss them off.

The changes she had made weren't illegal, per se, but probably required some sort of approval she likely never would have gotten if she had asked. On paper, the current Genin Corp was its own authority: able to act on the sole authority of the Genin commander. So, she did the ninja thing, and didn't ask. If the result didn't impress enough of the right people, Aioka knew she would probably be in a very uncomfortable position. Most people did not appreciate their control being usurped. If she had wanted to, she could have torn the very foundation out from under Konoha; instead, she had strengthened it and sealed it against their enemies.

Whatever happened, would happen. She was not ashamed of what she had done, she just hoped those connected to her would not receive backlash if the Hokage took offense.

Folding into a stretch, Aioka finally acknowledged her stalker by glancing to where he was standing in plain sight. Whatever the silver haired Jonin had learned from Azkoda-san the day they met hadn't sated his curiosity. Which stumped her; the man could have gone to Anbu headquarters, and learned everything the village had on her there. He was—after all—Hound-san, the most lethal, revered, and trusted Anbu taichou in recent history. Even if he was retired.

Aioka had sensed his signature behind that animal mask back when he wore it, even though Anbu masked their chakra signatures while on duty. Masking hid nothing from her. Yes, it lessened the intensity, but never hid it completely from her abilities.

At times, she still got overwhelmed by sensory overload, but only when she was in a densely crowded area and had misjudged her range. Her max range on a normal day in the marketplace was two hundred feet, while in the farm lands and the unpopulated lands between villages, she could sense up to three miles.

It was not a skill she advertise. Neither her parents, nor Naruto, knew the extent of her ability. And she never planned to let anyone know. While she had given her parents a brief taste of what she could do that horrific night, she had managed to keep somethings to herself.

The political ramification of her ability getting out would be worse than if things went south with her Corp. They would just execute her for what she did with the Corp... but they would breed her for her ability, and torture her to find out everything she knew. And she knew more than enough to destroy Konoha in a multitude of ways if she ever broke under enemy hands.

Completing her stretches and pushing aside those morbid thoughts, the copper eyed woman rose to her feet and faced her stalker. The jonin leaned against a tree, an orange book obscuring most of his already masked face. Silver hair rustled in the light breeze, brushing the dark cloth of his slanted hitai-ate while his uncovered eye roved slowly over his page. For all appearances ignoring her.

Taking advantage of the man's lack of acknowledgement, she took the time to observe his appearance. The shinobi was a man of many layers, both literally and figuratively, and nothing he wore was without purpose: be it a persona or a physical item. The shadows being cast by the growing morning light added to the mystic the man projected.

"Maa, staring is rude, Shojikina-san."

The drawl drew Aioka from studying the Uzumaki swirl, and recalling the history behind the symbol, to the onyx eye that had yet to leave his book.

"Only if one does not wish to be stared at, Hatake-san," Aioka replied, matching his nonchalance with her own.

The book was suddenly gone, and Aioka found herself with the man's full attention. It took more effort to not retreat a step than she would like to admit. The intensity of the jonin's regard was surprise. Aioka hadn't seen the man give his friends his full attention, let alone someone he had only met twice. She wondered what she had done to earn it.

For several moments, the Jounin stared at her, his posture and face, blank. "How long have you been training Naruto?"

"Since he was eight."

Her prompt reply seemed to surprise him. Making her mentally roll her eyes. Did he expect her to be shocked that he was aware that she had been teaching Naruto? He was a Jonin: she would be a fool to think he hadn't noticed the boy's hidden skill.

The jonin's stare was heavy and Aioka wondered if he was expecting her to share her secrets just because he was pressuring her with silence. It wasn't going to work. She and her Corp were very resistant to such methods as it was one of the forms of interrogation they could practice against.

"Next time you are available, come with Naruto to train; I want to see what you have taught him."

With that not-quite-an-order, the Jonin disappeared in a swirl of leaves...and into the branches of a nearby tree.

Smiling wryly at the theatrics, Aioka jogged toward the Hokage tower. Today she was standing in for one of her captains so he could be with his wife during labor of their first child. Paternity leave was a policy she put in place shortly after she became commander. Her birth parents had not been there for her, but Aioka would make sure these children had their fathers for, at least, their first days of life. It wasn't much, but the men and women appreciated it all the same.

At the tower, she greeted her temporary team: two boys and a girl who graduated in the class before Naruto. Collecting a repair mission, she gave it to the quietest and most unsure of the three, and told him to lead.

The boy led well; showing his knowledge of his teammates' strengths and preferences as he delegated assignments.

By lunchtime, they had successfully repaired a leaky roof and cleaned up their mess. They did two shorter missions, which the other two led, and retired to the Genin Corp HQ for training. For three hours, Aioka drilled the team in speed, strength, and endurance. Sparring, chakra control, and perfecting the Academy Three (Bunshin, Kawarimi, and Henge) were also done in that time frame. At the end of it, all three were exhausted but proud. The team was a good one, if lacking speed that would only come with time.

Aioka remained at headquarters late into the night with her Lieutenants. With the petition on its way to being viewed by the Hokage, they needed to arrange focused training for the qualified teams in anticipation of being permitted to participate. This required coordination between the divisions to prevent conflicting duties with the Chunin hopefuls and ensuring the hopefuls had ample opportunities to get any extra C-rank experiences they could get their hands on.

In the past, Career Genin were promoted individually and based on specialization. If the petition went through and was accepted, Genin, who otherwise would never have been considered, could finally show their capabilities.

Aioka's Corp had produced shinobi and kunoichi of mid chuunin ability for several years now. Well over half her Corp could stand toe to toe with the average Chuunin. She knew this because several chuunin from the many clans she knew liked spar with her teams to practice fighting multiple opponents. It was truly amazing how people could improve if given the right tools and attention.

That night, Aioka left with training schedules finalized. All that was left was for the petition to cross the Hokage's desk and Aioka would learn her fate.

 **A:CG**


	13. 012 C Rank! and a glance under a mask

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

 **A/N:** Double post! Chapter 11 is short and I felt like being generous.

Here's a little peek into Naruto's POV =D

Warning! It's a little dark at the beginning. Allusions to abuse, so skip to the line break if that bothers you!

* * *

For a long time he didn't understand.

" _Demon. Menace. He should just die."_

He didn't understand why every effort he made was met with agony.

 _Hard hands striking the hope from the face of a child who eagerly wanted to help with chores_.

But he tried anyways.

 _Sparkling clean dishes thrown to the floor, a woman snarling at the child for defiling them with his cursed hands._

He tried so hard.

 _Rain and mud coating everything when the child was finally left alone. The only shelter he knew now barred to him._

For a while, he gave up.

 _Tiny hand dug through trash, haunted eyes darted in fear. 'Hurry, hurry, hurry before I'm heard!' whimpered his thoughts._

And then he thought everything was going to get better.

" _This is all yours, Naruto. What do you think of your apartment?"_

And it was better.

 _The child giggled as he bathed for the first time under a shower._

But only for a while.

 _Crude laughter and abusive hands beating on the walls shook the windows at night; the morning light riddling the child's home with destruction._

But, for the sake of the one who showed him kindness he grinned.

" _I'm okay,Jiji!"_

Even though he didn't understand, he always grinned.

" _I'm sorry, Naruto. I don't know why you are hated."_

Even as he grinned, he sometimes felt such heat in his chest that he thought he would explode.

" _I'm not a Demon! I'm a boy! Please! Please! I'm sorry!" Cuts, bruises, and broken bones healed but the child's soul was tainting._

Because of the kindness, he buried everything but his grin. Determined to keep that kindness for himself. Eventually he went into the academy and learned about Traps; and for a moment, he thought he could do something right. His sensei praised him. Only to turn his back.

 _Brown eyes looked blankly at the hopeful child. "Sit down, Uzumaki."_

Years passed and he tried hard to gain that sensei's approval again. It took a long time, but he got it. For a while he was mostly content. But then he met his nee-chan.

" _Neh, why'd you do that nee-chan?"_

" _I expect professionalism from my Corp, Uzumaki-san. I will not tolerate a leaf-nin bullying a civilian, especially an academy student."_

And his whole world changed. He began to understand what lay behind the hate, and anger, and fear, in eyes of those who hurt him. He began to understand the pain, sorrow, and pity in the eyes of those he called precious.

His nee-chan did not look at him like that. What he saw in her copper eyes was like looking in a mirror when he knew no one could see him. She understood him in a way no one else could, and she taught him in a way no one ever had.

For a while he was wary (when is she going to turn on me?), but he quickly cast his fear aside as she passed test after test.

When he started to grasp the things she taught him, she introduced the greatest prank he had ever heard of. His idiot mask was made from the slowly fading remnants of who he had been.

Beneath the mask he found comfort in anonymity. For a while, it was nice that only he and his nee-chan knew who he was becoming; but then, he found out the lies he had been told.

That heat he once felt when he was little, returned and he felt it boiling beneath his skin. For a moment, he wanted nothing more than to see the world burn.

" _ **He lied! He lied! Jiji lied to me!"**_

Her calm in the face of his rage was a relief. Her gentle reproach to his accusations soothed his raw emotions. Her unflinching touch grounded him even as toxic and wild chakra licked at both of their flesh.

When dawn came, his soul was raw but clean. He no longer hated, but he also no longer respected what he once held most dear. That facet of his life, his naivety, faded away and truly became his Mask.

 **A:CG**

They got a C-Rank! Naruto hid his disbelief behind a closed eyed grin, hands clasped proudly behind his head. The Hokage assigned Team 7 a C-Rank, all because of his childish outburst.

What was he thinking? His team was nowhere near prepared for a C-Rank! Surely the old man realized that he wasn't actually this much of an Idiot.

When Aioka had challenged him to prank the village with his facade, Naruto never thought that the Hokage, the man that was once his closest confidant, would fall for it. Yet, Naruto now realized that the Hokage really, truly, no longer knew who he was.

It was only years of practice that allowed the blonde to maintain his mask in the following introduction to Team 7's client: Tazuna of Nami no Kuni. A numbness he hadn't felt since meeting Aioka settled in his gut: hopelessness. Any hope he had had that his Jiji would eventually see him for who he had become, died right then and there.

Distracted, Naruto nodded to acknowledge the order to meet at the West gate by noon, and darted toward the Genin Corp HQ. Missing his sensei's curious eye linger on him until Naruto was out of sight.

Naruto gradually dropped his special brand of henge as he ran. To hide the changes a healthy diet and proper training caused to his physique, Naruto maintained a henge of what he thought the old Naruto would look like if he had continued without those factors. By the time he reached the HQ, the neon orange jumpsuit had faded to deep grey with burnt orange accents and he had re-tied his hitai-ate as a bandanna. His face had lost some baby fat and he had gained two inches of height.

Stepping through the front entrance, Naruto waved and smiled distractedly at the welcoming calls he received. He needed to see his nee-chan.

Making his way to her office, Naruto felt some of the numbness go away when he felt her familiar chakra wink in and out of his senses in her way of greeting him. Her ability to disappear like that was really neat. She was helping him learn to do the same, but it was very slow going.

Copper eyes and a warm smile welcomed him when he finally entered her office. "Hello, Naruto-kun." The greeting was simple, but Naruto could hear the affection in it and see that she was listening. How she always seemed to know when he wanted serious advice before he said anything was beyond him.

"I leave for a C-Rank at noon."

A crease formed on the woman's forehead, her mouth twitching in an echo of his own disapproval. She knew just as well as he did, that his team was not ready to function as unit outside the village. They could barely work together as it was.

"Tell me."

So, he did. He told her how he had whined and complained about the D-ranks; how Iruka had played along and yelled at him, and how the Hokage had give in to his act with barely a token of resistance.

Aioka sighed softly when he finished his report, and opened her arms in an invitation. Accepting her offer of comfort, Naruto closed his eyes and buried his face in her shoulder.

"I'm never going to know him again, am I nee-chan?" He inquired hoarsely, mourning the loss of something he hadn't realized he still wanted.

Gentle arms tightened, comforting with their security and strength. "Do you want to know him again, Kit?"

A pained sound escaped him. He did. So very much; but, he also did not trust the man. When he had asked Aioka if she knew why he was treated the way he was (a question he had often asked his Jiji), she had been blunt. Yes, she did know, and no, she couldn't tell him due to laws concerning him. It wasn't until he had connected the dots a few years ago, that he realized that it was his Jiji who had established those laws. The same man who had lied to his six year old face, and many times after that, saying he did not know the answer to Naruto's questions.

Calloused fingers brushed against the hair at his nape comfortingly. "Take the time away to think about it Kit. I will support whatever you decide."

Naruto sighed and nodded but didn't move from her embrace. This would be the first time since they met, that they would be apart for more than a week.

It didn't happen to often, but his nee-chan went on the occasional C-rank to test her skills in real situations and to make sure that C-Rank protocols didn't need adjustment.

"Do you need anything before you leave?"

Naruto grunted a negative and snuggled closer. He was slightly playful now that his troubles were out in the open.

Aioka chuckled softly, and gave him another squeeze before pulling away. "Get going, Kit. I'll see you when you get back."

Naruto grimaced at the thought of weeks with his team and no escape. "Yeah, wish me luck."

She laughed, "Off you go."

Flashing his nee-chan a grin, he trotted away. Wondering what that flicker of sadness in her eyes meant.

Slipping out into the morning crowd, Naruto made his way to his nee-chan's home. The comfortable three bedroom house was a quick five minute hop over rooftops (or a leisurely twenty minute walk) from the HQ, and it was the place he called home. Since graduation, he had all but moved out of the apartment the Hokage had gifted him when he was seven. That place only held painful memories. He kept up appearances by sending a kage bunshin to spend the night and make the place looked lived in. He didn't want to clue his tormentors in to the fact that he no longer lived there.

Entering the home via his bedroom window, Naruto quickly began packing for a month. This mission was slotted for two weeks, but he thought it prudent to pack for twice as long; missions went awry all the time, and it was better to have too much than too little. Storage scrolls were awesome for emergency supplies: half his gear would go into one, while the other half remained available in his standard issue pack.

Shouldering the pack, the preteen took a last look around his room. He had purchased everything in the room himself, from the tan paint to the burnt orange comforter, and had managed to do it all without going into debt. The set up had been all his doing too. By using what Aioka had taught him, and what he had learned from reading, he had learned to manage his money wisely and had made his room defensible and functionally comfortable.

Satisfied that nothing was out of place, Naruto henged back into his public persona once he was a distance away from his home. The jumpsuit reappeared, his height diminished, and his face softened to allow more baby fat. It wouldn't do if people connected his true form to his mask.

Naruto greeted his teammates with obnoxious enthusiasm when he arrived at the gate.

"Where's senesi?" he exclaimed, amusing himself by twisting every which way as if doing so would provide him answers.

"Baka, quiet down! You are so annoying!" Sakura snapped, fiddling anxiously with a strand of her hair. The fact that she had said that louder than he had, just made the blonde roll his eyes in the safety of his mind.

"But Sa-ku-ra-chaaaan!" Naruto whined, drawing out her name in a way that never failed to make the girl twitch. He really shouldn't torment her, but she made it so easy. Both of his teammates were so easily riled; Sasuke just hid it better.

Sasuke was complicated, and Naruto was never sure how he wanted to view the other boy. Sometimes he wanted to befriend him, other times he wanted nothing to do with the violence that simmered in the Uchiha's eyes. Sasuke had a fragility about him that Naruto recognized in the worst way. And the blonde was at war with himself about what to do about it.

On one hand, Naruto _knew_ he could help the boy. On the other he feared the vulnerability it would require. To help Sasuke, Naruto would have to share some of his secrets. Secrets that had the potential to heal Sasuke just as they could destroy Naruto.

"Gah! Naruto!"

Naruto sighed at Sakura's frustrated growl and accepted the surprisingly hard hit on the head for his whining. If only she could channel that strength into her training, Naruto would be more proud to call her his teammate.

Feigning contrition, Naruto sulked over to Sasuke's side and flopped to the ground, childishly looking anywhere but at Sakura.

In spite of his criticism, Naruto really liked his teammates. They had the potential to be formidable shinobi one day. He could see Sakura as a tia/genjutsu type and troubleshooter; Sasuke as weapons/ninjutsu type and strategist, and himself as a ninjutsu type and infiltrator. If Sakura would take a more serious interest in her training and Sasuke became more receptive to friendship, Naruto wouldn't be so reluctant to let them in on some of his secrets. As they were now, he couldn't trust them to react well to his mask. Sakura wouldn't accept it and Sasuke...Sasuke would either fully accept him as a friendly rival or become unreasonably jealous of Naruto's competence.

"Hello, my cute Genin!"

Naruto reacted in tandem with Sakura. "YOU'RE LATE!"

Hatake Kakashi was another puzzle entirely separate from Naruto's fellow Genin. Why hadn't he called Naruto out on his mask yet? The blonde was not stupid. He knew the Jonin was aware of his mask. He had to with how often the man followed him to training with Aioka.

"Maa, you see I had to -" blonde and pink haired Genin cut their sensei off with a resounding and emphatic, "LIAR!"

The pout the Jonin sported, hid his amusement. With a few more words, Team 7 and the client stepped out of Konoha's walls.

Fascination was quickly replaced by a familiar companion: boredom. They had been close acquaintances during his academy days, he and boredom. Nothing against Iruka-sensei, but those lessons had been monotonous. Not only because Naruto had already gone through them many times before, but because sitting still did not make learning easy for him. His monstrous amounts of chakra made focusing nearly impossible unless he burned off a significant portion of excess energy. By allowing his mind multiple types of stimuli during lectures (such as physical and chakra exercises) it was actually easier for him to absorb theoretical lessons—or lessons that did not include physical movement.

To stave off his growing boredom, and to ignore the clients irritating jabs, Naruto acted even more of an idiot than usual by poking every tree and shrub like it was something alien, all the while trying to guess his teammates moods. During one of his lessons on reading signatures, he and Aioka discovered he sensed people by their emotions as well as their chakra. He could distinguish one person from another by their signature easily enough, but if he concentrated on a single person, he could get whisper like sensations of their emotions.

Chakra sensing was a weird thing. It was possible for anyone to learn but difficult to master without some natural talent. Shinobi relied on their chakra senses as much as sight and hearing, if not moreso. That was why shielding ones signature was considered hostile outside of training.

Aioka had explained that the average Shinobi could tell one person from another by signature, in the same way a person could tell people apart by facial recognition, but that was it. It was far more rare to read emotions, especially to the extent that he could when he had the time to focus. He had gotten faster at interpreting emotions but he still had to focus on one person at a time. That was why he was currently practicing on his team mates.

Sasuke was bored, irritated, resigned; so, normal. Sakura, on the other hand, never failed to give Naruto whiplash with how fast her mood changed. Currently she was: self-conscious, confident, swooning, doubting, irritated, calm, exasperated, swooning again… Sometimes Naruto suspected the girl of multiple personalities with how each emotion shifted and blended into each other.

Ignoring a stirring of amusement in his own mind, the boy turned his attention to the two adults. Hope, fear, guilt, and hope was an ever repeating loop from their client.

 _We're going to get smacked with the C-Rank curse, aren't we?_ He thought resignedly; mulishly returning to his place in formation when Sakura finally snapped at him.

Muted amusement leaked from the lone Jonin who trailed behind all of them. Kakashi-sensei was the hardest for Naruto to read. All the man's emotions were muted or distorted by something, very much like all Anbu. And his sensei was, or had been, Anbu. He recognized the man as Hound-san; one of the more friendly Anbu guards he had had during the early years of his academy days.

 _How much do you wanna bet Sensei will ditch us if things go screwy and pop up at the last moment?_

A rumble whispered in his mind, causing Naruto to hide a smirk by looking at a stone he kicked. His tenant was slowly becoming more interactive with him. Almost every night since discovering what he carried, Naruto spent time within his seal for as long as the great fox would tolerate him. The first meeting had been full of heated words from both; a struggle of two dominate wills. The ones after varied from more arguments, to Naruto enduring silence and KI. More recently, the fox seemed to be content in ignoring him but accepting his visits, and within the last couple days the fox had been responding with various noises to Naruto's running commentary on his teammates.

Naruto held no illusions that the fox liked him (there was too much bitterness and centuries of hate for that), but there was resignation in the biju towards Naruto's tenacious attempts to understand. Naruto hoped to befriend his tenant one day; the creature had been alone for too long and deserved some sort of companionship.

The disbelieving snort told Naruto what the biju thought of that.

 **A:CG**

There was a puddle... in the middle of the road. In full sunlight. It was blistering hot and it hadn't rained in more than a week. How stupid could people be?

Naruto's incredulity was loud in his mind and nearly caused him to break character to stare at the painfully obvious genjutsu. And if he, someone who _sucked_ at spotting genjutsu, was saying it was obvious, it was _obvious_.

In the two days they had been on the road, Team 7 hadn't run into anything more dangerous than mosquitoes and their clients agitation. Sakura had done well with attempting to curb Tazuna's taunts toward Naruto by asking him about his home but, as soon as the man had time to think, he was right back at picking on Naruto. It was grating, and more than once Naruto had to bite back his temper, but Naruto suspected it was the old man's way of distracting himself from whatever he feared waiting for him on the road.

 _My team sucks at situational awareness,_ Naruto thought tiredly. Both Sasuke and Sakura passed the genjutsu none the wiser of the Killing Intent leaking subtly from it. _You'd think they'd recognize KI with how much Sensei has been working on their endurance to it during spars._

When the attack came, Naruto was already in motion. He had too many years of sparring with Aioka and her Corp to be caught off guard. Before Sakura's scream ended, five Shadow Clone had been formed. Three darted to support Sasuke—who leapt to engage without hesitation—and two fell back with Naruto to surround Sakura and Tazuna.

Absently, Naruto noted that any other kunoichi would have taken his actions for the insult it was: he had zero trust in her ability to protect the client.

The skirmish was short. Ending with both opponents unconscious. One by Sasuke, the other by Kakashi.

"Yo."

Naruto snorted at his sensei's dramatic appearance and put his weapons away. The Jonin had knocked the Chunin out mid air and was currently holding the dead weight easily under one arm.

"Sensei!" Sakura's cry of relief caused Naruto to look at her. Her pupils were blown wide from adrenaline and fear. Reaching over, he lightly grasped her shoulder. "Breath, Sakura-chan, you're going to pass out if you start hyperventilating."

Thankfully the girl obeyed and didn't ignore him like she usually did.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, Sakura-chan. I needed to see who their target was," Kakashi stated and turned to Sasuke to praise him. The dark haired boy accept it with a distracted smirk, his eyes on Naruto's clones as they secured the shinobi he had knocked out. The clones had stripped everything useful from the nin and were currently standing guard.

"You do realize lying about mission parameters is stupid right?"

Kakashi turned from Sasuke at Naruto's bland inquiry, and felt his breath still as he looked upon the blonde. There was that look; the same that had caught his attention. Kami, the boy looked like his father.

"Wuh-what are you talking about?" Tazuna's stutter was painfully audible. The man was shocked by the attack and the sudden change in the boy he had chosen to antagonize since laying eyes on him. There was no sign of an idiot in the cool blue eyes.

"Baka! Don't blame the client," Sakura cut in heatedly, recovered from her moment of panic and channeling embarrassment into anger.

The unimpressed look he gave her was very foreign to her. She couldn't ever recall Naruto looking at her with such a lack of warmth.

"No, Sakura, Naruto is right," Kakashi rebuked lightly, a glint of something unidentifiable in his eye as he looked upon Naruto. The expression hardened when it turned to their client. "Explain."

As the man talked, Naruto's clones handed Sasuke his weapons and a storage scroll full of everything they could strip from the unconscious Chunin. When the clones dissipated, Naruto quickly sorted through their memories.

From his place by Kakashi, Sasuke watched his blonde teammate narrowly. There was something vastly different about the other boys mannerisms. The level headed responses to the past few minutes were not what he had expected from his blonde teammate.

For her part, Sakura had already dismissed Naruto from her mind; listening to the bridge builder with a bleeding heart.

Kakashi split his attention between his team, listening to the client, and monitoring their surroundings. The fact that Tazuna had lied was unsurprising, just an annoyance. It wasn't well known that ryo wasn't the only form of payment Konoha accept from poorer clients. If the man had been honest from the beginning, a compromise could have been made, be it discounted goods from the man's village or something else of that nature.

If his team decided to help the man, Kakashi was confident he could handle anything they ran into. It wouldn't be the first time he had dealt with this kind of situation.

Once a decision was made, Kakashi watched with curiosity as Naruto seamlessly fell back behind his mask. His teammates were quick to dismiss the previous display of skill, causing the Jonin to sigh inwardly is exasperation: those two were in for a rude awakening when Naruto had reason to stop hiding.

 **A:CG**

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm still fine tuning what Chakra Sensing is and isn't capable in this universe. I hope it's not confusing with some of the inconsistencies =/ I will be working on that in the next (hopefully final) draft along with subplots that I've touched on but haven't really expounded on.

Hope you all enjoyed the chapters and I look forward to your reviews!


	14. 013 Firsts and the Genin Corp

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

 **A/N:** Almost 100 reviews and nearly 200 follows. 0.0 wow

You guys are awesome! Thank you for all your reviews so far.

* * *

Paper and fabric whispered against wood, as an aged hand set a disturbingly thin file beside a very unexpected document. Smoke slipped from thin lips, lazily curling passed weathered cheeks, and folding around the brim of a symbol of responsibility, before dissipating in the open air.

Firsts were becoming rare. When was the last time a First had occurred for him?

Sarutobi Hiruzen couldn't recall.

Before him lay two puzzles: one as curious as the other. The file he had just read was disturbingly incomplete on a kunoichi he knew only by sight. The document was a petition from the Genin Corp to participate in the Chunin Exams for the first time in Konoha's history. It was signed by the unknown kunoichi who claimed the title of Genin Commander.

That was a title he had almost forgot existed.

Rising from his seat, the aged shinobi paused to straighten his robes: an action done to hide the growing pain that came with his age. Not that his guards didn't recognize the action for what it was. They had served him for too long to be fooled by such tricks; even if they allowed him to pretend he could. Hiruzen was quietly grateful for that dignity.

The Hokage strolled around his office and pondered the situation, his steps slow to loosen his body from sitting for too long.

The kunoichi's file was thorough up until her graduation and entrance into the Genin Corp. Everything after that was strictly mission reports. There was little intel on where she lived, her abilities, or medical records. Such blanks were curious. Usually imposters had impeccable record. It was almost as if the kunoichi had simply been forgotten. And if that was the case, there was a serious problem with the system in place to keep track of Konoha's shinobi. He would have to see if there were more incomplete files like this.

The blatant claim of Genin Commander was also odd. Surely the woman didn't think she could get away with such a claim when that rank could only be given by a Hokage. He had not bestowed that title on anyone since before the Yondaime took office.

Catching sight of the petition as he began another circuit around his office, his thoughts changed topics. That document told the aged Kage a great deal about the woman's connections. He had dealt with Nara's and Yamanaka's for too long to be unfamiliar with their touch on negotiation; and that document had both clan's influences all over it. Among the numerous vouchers for fifteen complete teams, were the signatures of Chunin and Jonin from both major and lesser clans and even a smattering of clanless shinobi. He admired the woman's boldness for the effort she went into to guarantee at least garnering his attention. With so many people knowing about the petition, he would have many waiting for his reply. How he handled this would tell his shinobi and kunoichi whether or not he valued their opinion and trusted their judgement. If he tossed this unknown kunoichi to T&I without caution it would send them a negative message. He would avoid that for now.

 _Well played Kunoichi-san_ , he thought wryly. She most definitely had his attention. It was fortunate she had so many loyal shinobi vouching for her; otherwise the kunoichi _would_ be enjoying services of T&I.

Hiruzen returned to his seat and looked over the problematic file and documents once again.

He really did admire the petition. It was well put together and if the Commander's identity weren't in question, he would have granted at least one team a chance without qualm. It was obvious that many of his shinobi believed the Career Genin should be given a chance.

Now that it was brought to his attention, Hiruzen recalled many instances when he had noted an improvement in the behaviour of the Genin Corp. Particularly in the missive runners' posture when faced with anyone of rank. At one time, he recalled bemoaning the lack of spine some of them had. Now, those same Genin (and the new ones) had a quiet dignity about them.

With some trepidation, the Third Hokage realized that he may have lost touch with one of his divisions. He could not pretend he knew much of the Genin Corp now. When he first took office, he could easily call up any information on how that division operated. Not so now.

"Bat." An Anbu materialized before the Hokage's desk. "Who keeps an eye on the Genin Corp?"

"We do not have anyone monitoring the Genin Corp specifically. Village patrol units would have the most information on them if you require it, Hokage-sama." The reply was preceded by a moment of silence, clearly telling the old shinobi that his guard had to think hard to come up with that answer.

"It seems we have a hole in security. Send two of our infiltrators in. I want an overview of their observations by tomorrow evening."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," the Anbu bowed, fist over his heart, and vanished to deliver the orders.

For a moment, the Third simply enjoyed his pipe, idly wondering what would come of this investigation. With a gusty sigh, Hiruzen finally returned to his paperwork, envisioning increasingly creative ways of destroying the never ending pile of tree shavings.

 **A:CG**

When the term _Career Genin_ comes up in casual conversation, it is often tied to failures and ninja-wanna-be's. It is spoken with pity and undertones of dismissal by other shinobi. They were the ranks that other shinobi were thankful they were not a part of and were considered as useless individuals. Yet, for Anbu agents Ferret and Mouse, that mindset was not what they were seeing.

Within the bowels of Genin Corp headquarters, the Anbu were perched in the deepest shadows above what appeared to be a training hall. The room was vast, taking up more than half of the HQ's usable space, and made primarily from stone—suggesting that it was made from materials found during the founding of the village. In those early years, the people had used whatever was dug up while clearing an area to build whatever they were clearing the land for. The stone formed the floor and the two longest walls. Numbers were carved into the two long walls and beneath each number was a space dedicated to a specific type of training: Numbers one through ten seemed to be where Academy jutsu was practiced; Numbers eleven through twenty: meditation and strategy games; Twenty-one through thirty: kata's and sparring. Every skill available to Genin was divided among the other numbers, and all numbers had a minimum of one Genin squad practicing beneath them.

Beyond the training hall was a wall with black windows, two and three stories up, that looked over the training Genin. At the base of the wall were three different entry points. Wordlessly, the Anbu split up; Ferret going to the middle entry and Mouse taking the left, both covering themselves in genjutsus to encourage people to ignore them. Neither saw more than one Genin pause to watch them.

* * *

Mouse, also known as Sarutobi Isa, was perpetually grateful that her partner was not with her at the moment; otherwise, the man would tease her relentlessly for the constant twitches of surprise escaping her control.

The path she had chosen led to a series of classrooms. Out of the eleven total classrooms, five were occupied by groups of Genin of various ages. The first one she snuck in on nearly caused her to panic when she realized what they were discussing: Protocol on dealing with known foreign spies. They were using a known spy from Iwa, who was masquerading as a gardener for civilian nobles, as an example. The teacher, a shinobi of roughly twenty five, was laying out scenarios that would require immediate interference. He asked the class how they handle it and to defend their chosen method. The current scenario was the spy seducing Lady Shimitagoa, wife of a member of Konoha's Merchant Guild: Shimitagoa Zhoa. Mouse couldn't decide if this was a real case or a made up one; she would have to check ANBU intel later.

The other classes were just as bewildering. Why would the Genin need to review the Academy curriculum when they were unlikely to ever use it?

Slipping into the empty rooms, Mouse discovered that each room was dedicated to some aspect of theoretical knowledge available to Genin. The training hall was where they put that theory into practice. The Genin Corp seemed to be a more indepth version of the Academy. With that realization, Mouse combed through each room to see how complete the curriculum was. She had until tomorrow evening but she had a feeling it would take much longer than that to see everything this Corp had to offer.

* * *

Ferret wasn't fairing much better than Mouse in the surprise department because, kami, could these Genin use traps. The hall he had chosen had been cast in a subtle genjutsu that clung to an intruder and twisted their perception of its size and length. Luckily, Ferret was familiar with the genjutsu and had shaken it off before it had taken root.

Using far more caution than he originally thought necessary, Ferret investigated the doors that lined the halls. Each were trapped to Suna and back and he didn't dare try his hand on them. Anbu he may be, but non-chakra based traps were not his forté. This was an observation mission only. As much as it hurt his pride that traps made by _Genin_ were blocking his mission, he was also impressed at the same time. Scouring the hall, and the two above, he tried to figure out what lay behind the doors but without a key to the colors and symbols on each door, he had no way of knowing without getting inside, a feat he only managed by slipping in behind a couple Genin.

Records: the room was filled with neatly filed records on missions the Genin did.

Ferret didn't have time to learn more than that before the Genin finished storing files pulled from their storage scrolls. Where those scroll had been, the Anbu hadn't seen.

For the next several hours, Ferret stole into rooms when Genin (always two) entered to store whatever files they had in their storage scrolls. It did not take the Anbu long to become overwhelmed by the amount of information the Genin Corp had within these walls. One room held reports on civilian criminals and their activities; many of which, Ferret hadn't even been aware existed. Come to think of it, he couldn't recall the last time civilians had complained about crime. With a shiver, Ferret acknowledged that something very, very strange was going on.

* * *

When the two met up again, they quietly exchanged information. Both decided this was one of the more bizarre mission they had done within the village walls.

A commotion below drew the two infiltrator's attention. The raised voices hollering greetings to a kunoichi both Anbu recognized as Shojikina Aioka: the Genin claiming to be Genin Commander. They had orders to shadow her if she made an appearance.

The woman was welcomed with warmth and respect that bordered on worship by all present. Her response was warm, greeting a few by name and inquiring after family members. The atmosphere in the hall intensified when the Genin returned to their training; feeling very similar to anticipation and that of students wanting to impress their sensei.

For an hour, the woman mingled with those in the training hall. Talking, teaching, and laughing with any who wished her company until she excused herself to the third, and final, hall the Anbu had yet to explore.

Exercising caution usually reserved for assassinations, the two infiltrators followed. The third hall held numerous offices and an exit, through which a few civilians came and went. Mouse deviated to observe that situation while Ferret continued to follow their target.

The woman went to the top floor; a space that was completely open and clearly her office. Two of three large desks faced a large window that looked over the training hall, each bearing the weight of an Akimichi in paper. The third faced the staircase they came up.

Ferret swallowed a yelp when two copies of the woman suddenly appeared with half a hand sign and a faint screen of smoke. Kage Bunshin. A Genin performed a Kage Bunshin with half a seal. Ferret couldn't do that. He didn't know anyone who could. He also didn't know many people to use the technique at all. It was forbidden for more than the amount of chakra it required: The technique was known to cause brain damage from memory transfers.

The three women sat at a desk and began to work, pausing only when Genin entered to remove the completed papers.

As Ferret observed the woman and her bunshin, he also took in the office itself. Shelves lined two walls, neatly filled with scrolls. A tapestry bearing the crests of all clans that had ever been connected to Konoha hung on one wall. Above it, a quote of sharp calligraphy was painted. ' _ **Honor Konoha, Protect Her people. Protect Konoha, Know Her People.'**_ The rest of that same wall was painted with other quotes on leadership and service.

It was nearing nine in the evening when the woman finally set her pen down and the last of her paperwork was taken away. With a heavy sigh, the woman hunched over her desk and one of her Bunshin dismissed itself, while the second came up behind the original and began gently massaging her neck and shoulders. Ferret decided it was disturbing to see a Bunshin comfort its creator.

For several moments, Shojikina simply breathed. It was obvious that absorbing her Bunshin's memories was not easy on her. When the second Bunshin was dismissed, the woman hissed a low whine but otherwise remained immobile.

"Aioka-san?"

Ferret glanced toward a Genin who had entered while Shojikina dealt with her first Bunshin's memories. The other Genin was a young woman in her late teens or early twenties.

"I'm alright, Ai-chan, just more information than usual," Shojikina replied to the younger kunoichi. Ferret noted the familiarity the two shared; none of the other Genin had spoken to Shojikina without calling her Commander, and Shojikina had never used -chan before.

"Do you need anything before I go?"

The older woman replied with a negative as she stood and stretched. "No, let me walk you out. I'm done for the night."

As the kunoichi left, Ferret felt unease slip through him. He did not know the woman's usual habits, but based on the younger of the two's brief look of startlement, some step had been skipped. Warily, the infiltrator remained where he was for several long minutes until Mouse found him and the two began combing through the office. They made note of everything, from childishly drawn pictures on her desk to the framed documents that hung on the walls. The scrolls on the shelves were not trapped, so they investigated their contents and found what appeared to be new recruit orientation packets. Within the packets were copies of policies, a breakdown of ranks, something called Hitai-ate Code Key, a list of mandatory exercises, and mission protocols. The Anbu tucked one of the packets into their vest and returned everything to its proper place before retreating to the main hall to rest and wait for a new day to begin.

"What did you find out about the civilians?" Ferret asked, curiously looking through the packet they had nicked from Shojikina's office. He would have to return and look for this _Details of Genin Rank/Type Duties_ mentioned in the section covering what ranks and types of Genin there were.

"The civilians were filing complaints; I'll look into it more tomorrow."

Ferret grunted an acknowledgement, reading the _Hitai-ate Code Key_ with interest. He had noticed that the Career Genin all seemed to wear their hitai-ate's differently than most but hadn't thought it meant anything beyond preference. Summaries were given on each type and rank and how to identify them. Type was easiest to spot. Color and placement told those who knew, what a genin's primary and secondary functions were. The only rank that was remotely possible to visually identify, was that of Commander. The Commander's Hitai-ate was always grey for Clerk but the secondary function changed; no other Career Genin's secondary function changed once they gained the rank of Private—which only occurred once a Genin could perform the Mandatory Skills. All other ranks were simply known by other Genin from familiarity.

Passing the packet to Mouse, Ferret took her place on watch. The HQ was not completely deserted. Three teams of Trainer/Scouts (Genin whose Hitai-ate were maroon and worn as bandannas) erratically patrolled the building. There was no set timing and no matter how long Ferret watched he could not figure out a pattern. He really wanted to know how they did it.

Darkness still claimed the world when Genin started to trail in. Both Anbu recognized the young Kunoichi, Ai, but the others they couldn't place. The group split into teams and began doing a variety of warm up movement and stretches. There were eighteen genin in total, twelve had Clerk as their Primary function, the others had either Scout or Trainer with a variety of other functions.

The group were beginning to cool down when their Commander arrived.

The woman's Hitai-ate was around her thigh today, signalling her secondary was a Trainer, versus the Clerk/Clerk she had been yesterday.

"Good morning."

"Good morning, Tachio," the others replied, flashing grins at each other for their synchronized greeting.

Shojikina chuckled and began her own warm ups. "Duzo-kun, start us off will you?"

A shinobi Clerk/Trainer stepped forward and began to give a summary of what needed to be accomplished today. Each of the twelve shinobi and kunoichi with Clerk as their Primary Function had a chance to speak.

To the Anbu's chargain, their presence had not been undetected yesterday. More than one of the twelve reported reports on intruders by genin in their division. And wasn't that interesting, there were divisions within the Geinn Corp. Ferret and Mouse were not sure what to feel at the confirmation that there was far more to the Corp than met the eye. They would need far more than today to give a comprehensive report to their Hokage.

"Excellent, thank you Lieutenants. Duzo-kun, Ai-chan, Hitomi-chan, please make time to see me today. Jin-san, Soba-san, Nyuki-san, inform today's Captains to keep a sharp eye out for newcomers. I sensed strangers on my way home last night." Shojikina gave all twelve various instructions to fulfill on top of what they had already reported. "As for the intruders, leave them be."

The twelve gave varying signs of dissatisfaction at that final instruction, but did not question her. That was either great trust or great foolishness on their part.

"Right, whose turn to spar with me today?"

Mouse and Ferret watched the following training with unease. All nineteen Genin sparred on levels closer to high Chunin, low Jonin. None of the Genin used skills above their rank, but they used them with incredible mastery that neither Anbu was certain they could imitate. It was rare when these genin used seals to perform their jutsus, and when they did it was with less than half the required seals and next to no smoke.

The spars ended an hour later and the twelve Clerks, along with Shojikina, settled down to meditate, while the other six began working on techniques that had required them to use seals. It was about this time that more Genin started to arrive and begin opening window shades, turning on lights, and setting up the training hall for use.

Shojikina and the twelve came out of their meditations and went their separate ways.

Mouse followed the shinobi named Duzo, Lieutenant of the Enforcers, while Ferret stayed behind to figure out which Lieutenant was going to assign teams to todays D-ranks. This was going to be a long day.


	15. 014 Firsts and the Genin Corp pt2

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

* * *

Mouse wasn't sure what to feel or what to think about this situation.

She had been shadowing Shigako Duzo for the better part of four hours, and her already crumbling view of the Genin Corp was thoroughly shattered.

Nothing about the common views of the Genin Corp was true. These kunoichi and shinobi were talented, efficient, and dedicated. Nothing like what the regular ranks portrayed them as.

In the few hours she had spent in the Enforcers office, Mouse had discovered why the civilians hadn't been bothering the Missions Desk with petty issues in several years: Teams of Scout/Runner or Scout/Clerks wandered the civilian sectors all day. Their mere presence was enough to discourage the worst crimes and provided the civilians easy access to Konoha's shinobi and kunoichi if they needed a mediator. If a crime did occur, civilians did not have to look far for help.

When an Enforcer team's shift ended, they reported to one of the Clerks stationed in the Enforcer office. Mouse wondered if Ibiki had any idea of the proverbial gold mine the Genin Corp was for budding Intelligence Officers. These Scouts picked up on the subtlest changes in the civilians.

One reported a widow's recovery from pneumonia. The honest relief on the reporting Genin's face spoke of how much they cared about this widow. Actually, all the Genin seemed to genuinely care for the civilians they reported on.

Not all the reports were pleasant, though. Several reported worsening conditions of families who had an abusive member, be it father to family, mother to children, or a child to an elder parent. The Clerks who took those reports would issue orders to help defuse the situation or direct the team to report directly to Duzo for instructions if the situation was life threatening.

Domestic abuse wasn't rampant, but Mouse was startled by how close the Genin Corp kept an eye on it. The level of scrutiny seemed very invasive, and she wondered why the Corp thought it necessary.

Satisfied that she had enough information to give a basic report, Mouse wandered the HQ. She sat in on lessons, read whatever files were left in empty offices, and slipped in and out behind Genin in the Records Hall to pass the time. There was a lot to see and not enough time to get details.

* * *

Out in the village, Ferret was witnessing the relations between civilians and the Career Genin first hand. Subtle things told the Anbu how much the civilians trusted the Career Genin. For one, the civilian children wandered freely, and none of the women seemed concerned. Not a single person flinched when the Genin came near to them. Ferret could recall times when he had walked through the civilian district and people would move away with wary awe.

Genin greeted anyone and everyone as they went about their missions, cheerfully talking as they worked or politely ending a conversation so they could continue their mission. They never dismissed anyone, even if they were clearly in a hurry.

The Genin did not take to the roof tops unless a mission required it; preferring to move among the masses, and freely demonstrating chakra use when children asked them to. Both things were not the norm. The more Ferret watched, the more the man wondered at the familiarity everyone seemed to have with each other.

The current team he was following never failed to greet a vendor, child, merchant, or cripple by their name. Just as every civilian knew each Genin by name. Ferret wasn't sure why he was so surprised by this, but it struck him as odd. Shinobi and civilians had alway been somewhat segregated. Both because civilians feared shinobi and because shinobi were easily irritated by civilians. They were too different to truly get along; or had been at one time. Was the segregation there because shinobi didn't put out enough effort to educate their civilian families?

These civilians didn't seem to have any issues with the Genin. It was something to look into later.

Falling back to the Genin HQ, Ferret and Mouse made their way back to Anbu headquarters to compare notes and compile a report for their Hokage.

 **A:CG**

Hiruzen idly passed his thumb over the wood of his pipe as he thought over the Infiltrator's reports. Particularly, the Anbu's reactions when delivering said reports. It had not escaped his notice that the two were impressed by their finds. Their tones had been flat, but the words they chose gave away their feelings. They were curious, and curious Anbu led to nosy Anbu. Hiruzen would not be surprised if those same two Anbu decided to visit the Genin Corp during their off hours.

"How do you want to handle this, Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen exhaled and brought his focus to the man he had summoned after he had read the Anbu's written reports. "Cautiously. Shojikina-san has served Konoha well by taking initiative and filling the void left by the Uchiha, but she is also an unknown." Hiruzen handed the Genin Corp's Exam petition and Shojikina's personal file over his desk. "I will allow two of the Genin Corp Teams to participate and allow her to represent them among the other Jonin-sensei."

Morino Ibiki set aside the Anbu report Hiruzen had been thinking about and scanned the document once before reading the personal file carefully. "What of her title?"

"Ferret mentioned seeing an official Certificate of Rank in her office. It appears legitimate but lacks my signature. After the first Exam, I will make time to speak with her. She will pay a visit to T&I, one way or another. The manner of visit will depend on the results of our conversation."

Ibiki acknowledged his Hokage's warning with a slight nod, mentally adding the woman's visit to an already large list of things that needed to be done during the Exams.

"I will have the teams monitored during the Exams; I assume you will allow her to choose which two will participate."

Hiruzen quirked a small smile. Ibiki knew him well. "Yes. Do you have an hour to spare, Ibiki-san? I would appreciate a second pair of eyes while I speak with Shojikina-san about the Exam."

Ibiki gave his Hokage a dry look for the needless inquiry. He was just as curious as Hiruzen was about the woman. "I'll manage."

Hiruzen smirked at the quip. There was only a handful of Shinobi he allowed to speak to him with such familiarity, and Ibiki had earned it a long time ago. The scars on his body were a testament to the trials he had endured to earn that privilege.

After sending orders to his secretary to summon Shojikina, Hiruzen and Ibiki relaxed and spoke of idle things while waiting. Ibiki shared several humorous mishaps that occurred in his division, and Hiruzen told about his grandson's latest attempts at claiming the title of Hokage. Both were relaxed when the Secretary announced the Career Genin's arrival.

The woman that walked in was startlingly understated. Her appearance was the kind that could easily get lost in a crowd, neither too handsome, nor too plain. Ibiki appreciated the image she presented. At first glance, the woman was nothing special, but that same 'nothing special' was what impressed the professional interrogator the most because it was that posture that hid the sharp intelligence the woman possessed.

"Hokage-sama, Morino-sama, good-afternoon."

Both men noted their guests' lack of nerves and the manner she addressed them. This was a woman who respected people of authority, but was not intimidated by them.

"Welcome, Shojikina-san, please sit."

* * *

 _She spends a lot of time with Nara's_ , Ibiki thought, opening the woman's file and pretending to read but discreetly watching her every move. Her posture fell similarly to that of the shadow using clan.

None of her movements was wasted, and all were silent, the mark of a shinobi who knew what it meant to be vigilant. A very curious thing for a supposed Career Genin when they weren't supposed to receive missions that would teach that kind of awareness.

If the woman's file hadn't had documentation of her year in Konoha's Academy, or a complete list of mission she had taken, Ibiki would immediately say she was anything but a Career Genin.

"Is your morning going well?"

If the woman was surprised by the following small talk, she gave no indication of it. There was a fearlessness in the way she gazed on both of them that was steadfast. The fearlessness wasn't arrogance, rather a quiet strength that intrigued the scarred man.

As the conversation moved smoothly through pleasantries, the woman's composure never became forced. No sweat glistened at her temples, nor did she fidget unnecessarily. It was a puzzle Ibiki wanted to unravel. It was unusual for people to be so unaffected by another's station in life. Especially, when the social gap was as large as it was between her and the Hokage. By all rights, Shojikina should be a bundle of nerves, merely because she was essentially a bug conversing with a god.

Ibiki was privately amused when the Hokage asked the kunoichi what she had been doing when his summons had come. The old man enjoyed discovering how he interrupted his shinobi's days.

"You seem to love your fellow Career Genin," the Hokage commented after Shojikina explained she had been giving some Genin pointers on chakra control.

A small smile crossed the woman's face, softening her focused features and alighting her eyes with pride. "I do. They have given me their all, just as I have. I am very proud of my Corp."

"Is that why you asked to allow them to participate in the Exams?"

The way the Hokage ignored the woman's blatant claim of the Genin Corp being 'hers' told Ibiki that he, too, had heard what the woman meant by that. She was not claiming that the Corp was no longer the Hokage's, but rather claiming it, as a sensei would claim a student.

"Partially, Hokage-sama." A flicker, a shadow, raced through the woman's gaze. "I also did it to test the waters between myself and whoever would take notice."

Ibiki allowed a frown to pull at his lips. Brave: she was very brave to give them an opening like that. She was acknowledging her actions concerning the Genin Corp and giving them an invitation to interrogate her. Ibiki was simultaneously impressed and nonplussed by her reckless bravery. The kind of character she was displaying was rare among a people who rewarded deception.

* * *

Taking the pipe from his mouth, Hiruzen slowly let the smoke escape his lungs. The young woman was certainly full of surprises. "Let's focus on the Exams, Shojikina-san. I have liked what I have seen and heard about you; we will speak more of your accomplishments at another time."

The subtle tension relaxation in the woman's shoulders made Hiruzen smile. The Career Genin was surprised by his temporary dismissal of her unspoken offer to speak about what her Corp had become.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." That simple sentence carried a myriad of meanings. It expressed more than just thanks for the acceptance of the petition. It also covered thanks for allowing her to live. It seemed that the woman was fully aware of the potential consequences for her actions.

"I will allow two teams to participate. If they do well, I will consider allowing them in future Exams."

A smile lit the woman's face: restrained joy and thankfulness expressed in the gesture. "Thank you, Hokage-sama. Would you like to view their files and choose teams?" The way her eyes passed over his paperwork spoke of familiarity with such headaches.

"You know your peers better than I. Choose who you will. Their performance will be the deciding factor on the Corp's entrance to future Exams."

The woman nodded, masking the most obvious marks of excitement behind a neutral mask as she accepted six forms from the Hokage's hand.

"Have your Genin fill those out and bring them to the Exams. I will be announcing the dates next month."

The woman stood and bowed. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen smiled faintly. "I expect you to be there as well, Shojikina-san. It is traditional for the participating teams to have a sensei represent them throughout the Exams."

Copper eyes widened minutely in surprise. "I'd be honored, Hokage-sama. Am I to represent both teams, or would you like another to join me?"

"Just you, Shojikina-san. Since you are the Commander of the Genin Corp, I can justify your presence." He would acknowledge her illegitimate rank for now; she had served the title far better than her known predecessors.

With a few more words, he dismissed the woman and turned to Ibiki, who had been silent during the entirety of the exchange.

"She is complex, Hokage-sama. I will need more time to get a read on her," Ibiki stated in reply to his Hokage's silent demand for his opinion.

Hiruzen thought as much. Glancing at his desk, he mentally began preparing himself.

"Keep an eye on her. And look into her file," he tacked on, eyeing the thin file with annoyance. "It has several blanks."

Ibiki acknowledged his orders and left his Hokage to the bane of any person of rank: paperwork.

 **A:CG**

 _That went surprisingly well_. That was Aioka's thought as she knocked back some sake. Her hands trembled faintly as the reality of what she had just done, was finally acknowledged. She was not going to be handed over to T&I.

She had been suppressing her thoughts about this meeting since the first draft of the petition had been written. Now that it was over, she was overwhelmed with visions of all the different ways it could have gone wrong for her. Scenario after scenario passed through her mind's eye, bombarding her with emotions the images conjured.

What if the Hokage had ordered Anbu to toss her to T&I? What if they had tortured her for being a spy? What if the Hokage had taken offense to her overhaul of one of his divisions? What would happen if Naruto came back to her dead? What if? WHAT IF?

"Aioka-san?"

The copper eyed Genin Commander released her head, having screwed her eyes shut and clenched her face in a useless attempt to fight off the visions, and wearily looked into the worried face of a brown eyed Chunin.

"Iruka-san," she rasped and cleared her throat. "Yes?"

Concern swam in the man's eyes as he took in her stressed state. "Are you okay?"

Aioka huffed, feeling exhausted from the abrupt onslaught of emotion, vaguely aware that others in the most empty bar were watching her too: waiting to react if she got violent. She supposed it wasn't an uncommon thing for shinobi to have breakdowns in these places.

"I will be. Thank you for asking," she assured, straightening from her defensive huddle.

When she had left the Hokage Tower, she had entered the first shinobi only bar she found. She did not want her Corp to see her succumb to the stress she had silently endured, and she did not want to burden Ichika when Shikoru wasn't around.

 _I really need a friend,_ Aioka thought wearily, motioning the bartender to refill her empty shot glass.

Her friends from her Academy days had drifted from her as she had buried herself in the reconstruction of the Genin Corp. She didn't blame them but she felt the sting of abandonment.

Mikomi-chan and Toko-chan still kept in contact but they were both just as busy with their careers as she was. Ken was married but spent as much time as he could out on missions. According to Mikomi, the marriage was not a pleasant one.

Idate had died two years ago on a mission gone wrong. Ketsu was undergoing Anbu training judging by the amount of time Aioka sensed the man's signature in the Anbu HQ and the Forest of Death. The others had either retired to raise families or had died.

It grieved Aioka that she had not kept those bonds.

"Would you like to talk about it?"

Aioka offered another small smile, "No," and hesitated. Umino Iruka was a kind man and very empathetic compared to most people. They hadn't spoken at any length since Naruto introduced them after his graduation. It wouldn't hurt to get to know him more.

Aioka reiterated her previous statement. "No, but I would not mind some company."

The Academy instructor smiled in understanding and tilted his head toward a table two other Chunin sat at. "We have room for a fourth."

* * *

When the woman had entered a few minutes ago, the entire bar went silent. The blank, yet panicked, expression in the unknown kunoichi's face was familiar to all of them. Many shinobi had come in here on the brink of losing it before and had been eased out of it by friends. The patrons had shared worried looks when no one immediately went to her. Usually the shinobi community was close knit, but no one seemed to know who she was. Iruka had finally stood when he realized he was the only one who even knew her to be a Career Genin.

"I," Aioka hesitated over the initial refusal on her lips. She really did not want to be alone right now, and these people did not require a leader, a daughter, or a sister. She could crumple for a moment. "I'd like that."

With somewhat jerky movements Aioka followed Iruka to his table.

"Kotetsu, Izumo, this is Shojikina Aioka of the Genin Corp. Aioka-san, these are Chunin Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo," Iruka introduced as he sat down, attempting to make this meeting casual. Formalities were the last thing the woman needed when she had been on the edge of a panic attack a moment ago. Luckily, Izumo and Kotetsu were laid back enough to not be offended.

"Hello Shojikina-san; call me Izumo. You look like hell."

Iruka winced and glared at his tactless friend but the quiet laugh beside him gave the sensei reason not to smack the other man.

"Not quite that bad, Izumo-san. I apologize for intruding."

The shaggy haired Chunin waved it off. "No worries. You're a Career Genin: how long have you been in service?"

For the next hour, the three Chunin talked to, or around the woman: allowing her to pull herself together but making sure she didn't retreat too deep into her own head. Gradually, Aioka felt calm enough to banish her chaotic thoughts.

"Thank you."

Iruka and his companions paused their debate on the order of the handsigns for some water-based jutsu, to smile at her. There was a distinct lack of fragility in the woman's eyes now.

"Do you want to talk yet?" Iruka offered kindly, aware of Izumo and Kotetsu's (as well as his own) curiosity over what had triggered her earlier reaction.

Aioka hesitated, studying the three men before her. What were they offering? Were they wanting gossip? Friendship? What? Ruthlessly Aioka shoved her thoughts down before they could spiral out of control again.

"I over think 'what if' scenarios and send myself into panics. That's what that was. I haven't had that happen in a few years and... yeah," Aioka trailed off, and flushed at how silly that sounded but that was the gist of it. Her imagination was a vivid thing. She could not put into words how easily her own mind could turn against her: with a barrage of images and emotions so potent they might as well be real. It made genjutsu very easy for her, but she developed an aversion for it after an incident in the Academy.

The three men seemed to struggle with amusement and disbelief. Aioka's blush deepened. "It's true," she defended.

Iruka took a breath, shunting his unhelpful amusement to the back of his mind. "How do you usually deal with it?"

Aioka lifted a shoulder, her blush intensifying a little. "Last time, I had my Tou-san around to talk me through it. I was fifteen," she explained quickly when she thought about how her statement could seem like she relied on her father a lot...or maybe she was overthinking her words again.

Iruka couldn't help the bemused chuckle that escaped him when Aioka covered her reddening face. This behaviour was completely different than what he had experienced at Naruto's place. Where did that well spoken, confident woman go?

A muffled voice came from behind the woman's hands, causing Iruka to chuckle again. "Say again, Aioka-san?"

The woman lowered her hands but kept her head down. "I'm sorry. I'm really, _really_ not used to talking to people outside of a work situation."

"Don't have any girl friends to hang out with?" Izumo asked, vastly amused by the range of moods the woman was going through. However, he was not prepared for the negative shake of the Genin's head. "What? Why not?"

The woman gave him a glower, which was mostly ineffective because of her blush. "Because this," she motioned to herself, "happens."

None of the three shinobi missed the shadows of sorrow masked by the embarrassment.

Iruka was confused by the statement. "You seemed fine when we had dinner with Naruto."

Izumo and Kotetsu exchanged glances. Iruka took Aioka out to dinner with Naruto?

Aioka sighed. "We weren't focusing on me. That was about you and Naruto and I was just there as moral support."

Kotetsu leaned forward with a cheshire grin, deciding a change of topic was needed before the woman retreated from them. "So, what's this about Iruka taking you out to dinner?"

Iruka gave an indignant yelp at the change of subject but was pleased that Aioka seemed to relax from the gradual defensiveness his statement had caused.

"Do you need to tell me something, Iruka-san? I was under the impression Naruto invited us."

The woman's eyes twinkled with amusement, yet tension returned once her words were out. Was that too familiar? Would they take that wrong?

"Ohh, I like you Aioka-san." Izumo grinned, surprised by the woman's forwardness but pleased all the same.

"But seriously," Kotetsu cut in before his friend, and chunin partner, could make further digs at Iruka. "You guys had dinner together?"

"Naruto wanted to have a family dinner. Since he considers me his nee-chan, and Iruka-san his nii-san, it was just us three," Aioka clarified.

"So no dating in the future?" Kotetsu grinned. Just because he would stop Izumo, didn't mean he wouldn't throw out his own digs.

Iruka grimaced. His friends were horrible. But they were doing well with distracting Aioka. The woman was horribly awkward interacting with them, constantly second guessing her words, but gradually started to relax when she wasn't rejected. Teased—oh yes, Izumo and Kotetsu teased both of them at every turn—but never rejected for her insecurities. It was incredibly interesting to see which topics induced confidence or uncertainty into her posture. Anything work related, or about other people, she was relaxed and easy; turn it back on her, and her opinions, she got uncertain. At first he thought she was trying to hide something about herself, but soon realized she genuinely did not know how to talk about herself. Almost as if she never had.

"Aioka-san, may I ask you something?" Iruka cut of Izumo from saying something potentially crude—the man had taken to see what topics were absolutely off limits to the woman and it was starting to get inappropriate.

For her part, Aioka took everything with good humor. After several hours of exposure to the three of them, she had a better grasp of what was acceptable. This was very nice.

"Of course." She got the feeling the Academy Sensei was about to ask something a little more personal to her than everything else that had been thrown at her, and braced herself accordingly.

"Have you ever simply talked like this before?"

Kotetsu and Izumo looked at their friend in surprise. Iruka was not usually that blunt or forward. Sure, they had been poking at the woman with some fairly out-there questions, but they had kept the inquires mostly impersonal.

Aioka pressed her lips together, inhaled, and sighed heavily. "No, Iruka-san."

The lack of friendships hadn't bothered her until recently. She was too busy with her Corp and teaching Naruto to be lonely. When she had been stressed out she would go visit her family in the Nara Compound, but that wasn't enough any more. She was lonely.

Glancing at the three men, Aioka felt a longing for more times like this; where she could simply sit and laugh, and tease. Times where she could just be Aioka and not anything, or anyone, else.

Even with Mikomi and Toko, Aioka was a mentor more than a friend. Never talking about herself and always about them.

"Well, that isn't going to fly."Aioka started and leaned back when Izumo leaned across the table to put a finger in her face. "You are going to hang out with us and we will drag you if we must."

The other two nodded firmly, smiles on their faces when she stared at them in bewilderment.

"Okay?"

Iruka laughed out right at her astonished expression. "It's getting late, let me walk you home, Aioka-san."

Mildly confused over what had just happened Aioka paid her tab and followed obediently. Outside Izumo and Kotetsu said farewell, reminding Aioka that they would hunt her out if she didn't come find them soon.

"What just happened?"

Iruka smiled at the very confused tone his new friend used. "You just made some friends, Aioka-san."

Aioka reviewed her day as they walked. Wondering how she had went from surviving a meeting with the Hokage to making friends. In the end she shrugged and enjoyed the silence between her and Iruka. Today had been a good day.


	16. 015 Growing Bonds

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

 **A/N:** Hi! So this chapter is a bit longer than the others have been (yay!) but not as polished. I touch on a lot of relationships and subjects that I haven't fleshed out and probably won't get around to doing in this draft, so I apologize for how vague some things might feel.

Nit-pick at your leisure =)

* * *

Now that she had the Hokage's blessing, Aioka gathered the two most experienced teams in the pool of Chunnin hopefuls and began training them in earnest.

The first team consisted of Noki, Deidre, and Kei, who were by far the most experienced team as they had served together since their first day in the Corp.

The second team was an older cell, consisting of two shinobi and a kunoichi in their mid to late twenties: Shoku Gan, Azurichi Chojuro, and Nokomu had been a team for four years and were among the senior Enforcer teams. Shigako Duzo, the Lieutenant of the Enforcers and Aioka's Second, was their sensei.

Duzo's team were active Enforcers who, unsurprisingly, had an emphasis on intel gathering but were an effective tracking/retrieval team if necessary. Granted, Team Duzo had little practical experience with tracking and retrieving, beyond a handful of C-ranks to finding missing persons within Hi No Kuni or the times civilians had lost track of their children in the market.

Aioka's team was far more diverse in their skill sets. Between Noki's genjutsu/speed, Deidre's strength/ninjutsu, and Kei's taijutsu/weapons, the three could tackle any mission type thrown at them. However, all three prefered combat roles over any other and had an impressive number of C-ranks under their belts and even two B-ranks.

Aioka had each team rotate through her Lieutenant's to find holes in their training and brush up any skills the Chunin hopefuls could be better in. This special attention would not be offered to future teams, Aioka had made that abundantly clear when she made the announcement about the Hokage's verdict. If they won the privilege to join future Exams, Aioka promised to introduce programs to further help Career Genin prepare for Chunin.

When Aioka wasn't training Team Duzo and Team Aioka, she was performing her other duties and getting hauled around by her new friends.

The first time the three had sought her out at the HQ, Aioka had been in a meeting with her Lieutenant of Scheduling, Arabai Hitomi, to accommodate the Chunin hopeful's need for more C-Ranks. The Corp had a number of Trainer/Scout teams on standby for whenever the Mission Desk received missions that didn't require fully Chunin teams. Missive Runners were sent to the Corp to order a Genin team to meet wherever the leading shinobi wanted. Based on what the Runner knew of the mission, Hitomi would pick the Genin team best suited for the job.

The missions usually consisted of supply runs to Hi no Kuni's border outposts, missives to dropbox points for domestic spies, or an occasional escort of some civilian to somewhere within Hi no Kuni's borders. Career Genin never crossed borders into another nation: Simply because Career Genin did not have the skill sets required to function successfully in a foreign nation. Aioka did not want to change that either. Career Genin were meant to strictly operate within Hi no kuni; if her Corps wasn't satisfied with that, then they needed to move on to Chunin.

Aioka described all of that to her new friends when explaining what she had been doing. The baffled expressions the three Chunin bore amused her. For the rest of the day, she happily gave them a tour of her HQ after double checking with her Lieutenants to make sure they didn't need her. Said Lieutenants had all but kicked her out of their offices in reply. Apparently, they thought she worked too much.

A couple days after giving her friends a tour, several other Chunin (and some Jonin) popped into the HQ to look around. Aioka had even spotted the owners of the Anbu signatures that had been wandering the HQ before the Hokage had summoned her. Fortunately, most of the visiting shinobi didn't cause too much distraction, though more than one Enforcer had to firmly redirect nosy shinobi from the Record's Hall. Just because they had tolerated Anbu poking around those files did not mean every Rin and Ko needed to be looking through the private lives of Konoha's civilians.

The files were guarded by as many security measures as the Corp could invent. Naruto helpfully tested them whenever he felt like it and made suggestions when he found holes. Aioka wished she could get a hold of a fuinjutsu user to seal the rooms. It made her uncomfortable that such sensitive information wasn't better protected. If Naruto could get into it, a foreign nin could too. A few of her Lieutenants got exasperated by her paranoia about the Record Hall, but she would rather be annoying and keep Konoha's people safe than lax and let them suffer. That was why her Lieutenants had been baffled by her allowing the Anbu to go unchallenged a few days ago. However, they relaxed when she ordered for them to figure out means to seal up the hole the Anbu had been kind enough to show them.

With the Chunin Exams coming up, Aioka spent most of her days in meetings with her Lieutenants coming up with schedules for increased village security and showing Duzo the ropes he needed to know in order to cover for her absence during the Exam itself.

Aioka took pains to train each of her Lieutenants for the possibility that one of them would need to take her place. She had no plans of giving up her position any time soon, but she was a shinobi and any day could be her last, even if she rarely left the village. She was not unaware of the political danger she could be (would be) in now that the Hokage was becoming more aware of her and her doings. She was actually surprised that he seemed to be keeping everything under wraps. She hadn't sensed any more Anbu or other shadows wandering her Corp since the first two. Now, they all came openly.

 **A:CG**

Once the meetings for the day were finished, Aioka returned to her office and made a Kage Bunshin to finish her paperwork; she was late for a late lunch with her friends.

The Bunshin gave her a scowl and shooed her out. "One of these days, one of us is going to ignore you and make you do the paperwork while we go gallivant around with the handsome Chunin."

Aioka laughed outright; she wouldn't put it past herself to do such a thing. "But not today. Please keep an eye on the time, I'll make sure I'm home by ten."

"Hai, Hai. Now shoo."

Aioka scowled when her Bunshin shoved her toward the stairs. If she hadn't interacted with Naruto's Kage Bunshin, she would think she was doing the Jutsu wrong and giving her Bunshin too much personality, but the blonde's Bunshin treated their original the same as hers did to herself.

Rolling her eyes at her wandering thoughts, Aioka made her way out of the HQ and directed people to her Bunshin if they had any need of her.

Since they had calmed her down nearly three weeks ago, Aioka and her new friends met up a couple times a week for a meal. Sometimes it was just Iruka, other times it was both (or one) of the Eternal Gate Guards, or any possible combination of the three. Aioka was the only one that consistently showed up since she had the most control over her schedule. Today, the meeting place was a teahouse near the Hyuga Compound—Iruka's pick.

A surprised grin stole over her face when a series of signatures came into range. Team 7 was back. She had been getting worried.

Her mood further lightened, Aioka all but bounced into the teahouse and joined her friends at a traditional table. The three men eyed her expression but didn't question it; they were experienced enough with women to not question the cat-got-the-canary grin when it appeared.

"Stop that, you look like you're plotting someone's death."

Aioka purposefully turned her grin on Izumo, causing the man to shudder dramatically. Laughing, she softened her expression to something less maniacal. Who knew she could be so...weird when she allowed herself to relax?

"Glad you could make it, Izumo-san. Are you ribs better?"

The bandanna wearing Chunin stretched leisurely, showing full movement of his torso. "Yep, iryo-nin are awesome." He had busted several ribs on a mission last week and hadn't been able to make any of their get togethers.

"Only when they're cute and have curves," Kotetsu tacked on slyly.

Aioka and Iruka rolled their eyes in sync, earning teasing grins from their companions and comments about being married.

Izumo and Kotetsu had quickly decided she and Iruka would make a good couple, and were constantly teasing the two. For their part, Aioka and Iruka had silently agreed they wouldn't be anything more than friends.

Could they have made a relationship work? Undoubtedly. But it would have been too comfortable and friendly rather than loving. Aioka had thought about it long and hard when it first came up but, in the end, decided she didn't want to settle for comfortable. Maybe if they were still unattached in ten years she would be more interested.

"Have you heard anything about Team 7, Aioka-san?"

Aioka pulled herself out of thoughts about the host who had performed the ceremony. She did not know Yamaiza Michi—the mother of one of her very first genin team—well but the older woman seemed happier than usual. She would have to look into it later.

"Aa, heard? No. But I did sense them on my way here. I think they were headed for the Hokage Tower."

Iruka and the other two blinked. Sensed?

"You're a Sensor?" Iruka quaried. Sensors—people who could identify people by chakra signatures beyond twenty feet—were not common.

Aioka shrugged. "Yes. I Sense Jonin and Kage leveled chakra sources the easiest." Which was true. Misdirection was so lovely.

"Huh. How far is your range?"

Aioka shrugged again. "Far enough."

The Chunin backed off. They weren't familiar enough with each other to push for answers about each other's shinobi skills. That would have to wait until they sparred a few times. A short while later, the four said goodbye. It was getting close to dinner time.

 **A:CG**

Naruto stretched as he and his teammate's left the Hokage Tower. He was glad that was over with; he wanted to see his nee-chan. He had so much he wanted to tell her. Needed to tell her.

The whole mission had thrown him for a loop. His indecision about his mask had nearly killed his teammates during the first confrontation with the Demon of the Mist: which had led to a very unpleasant realization about the gaps in his teammates education. The two hadn't recognized the ruse of the false Hunter-nin, nor that Kakashi had strategically let the nuke-nin go due to chakra exhaustion. When Kakashi had woken and pointed out that Naruto had been nudging his teammates (manipulating, Sasuke had accused) into following protocols they should have known, Sasuke had upped his antagonization in an effort to draw out Naruto's true strength. Between the Uchiha's baiting, Sakura's belittling, and Inari's ignorance, Naruto had snapped and had left to release his pent up agitation. The Kyuubi's taunting whispers hadn't helped his temper any either.

Meeting Haku had allowed him to safely vent—in that moment he hadn't cared that the other was an enemy. The other boy had listened patiently and led Naruto to reevaluate his reasons for being a shinobi. Before that day, Naruto had no clear reason to fight other than it was what his role models did (e.i. Aioka, Jiji, and the Yondaime). That meeting was bittersweet because, in the end, the gentle boy gave his life for a man who was unwilling to voice his love until it was too late. Naruto vowed he would never let anyone he cared about not know his love for them. That included his thick headed teammates.

"Let's have dinner together."

Sasuke and Sakura looked at their blonde teammate curiously. Sometime during the mission, both had come to the realization that Naruto wasn't all he had appeared to be.

"I don't know, Baka," Sakura started, the name lacking the usual bite, "my parents will probably want me home for now. It's been a month."

Sakura wasn't sure what Naruto was hiding, but she could acknowledge that it was only because he had sent clones to help her guard Tazuna that she was even alive. That had been a bitter pill to swallow. She would try to look pass his stupidity, but she couldn't help that he still irritated her when he acted better than Sasuke-kun.

Naruto blinked and smiled sheepishly, he had forgotten that Sakura wasn't an orphan. "I was hoping to cook for you guys."

The weird looks he got made him laugh. "I _can_ cook. Ramen isn't as much of my diet as it seems," he assured. The skeptical looks they gave him earned them a scowl. "Really!"

"Whatever, Dobe," Sasuke smirked when the boy played up his indignation further.

Sakura shook her head at the boy's antics, pushing down the impulse to agree with Sasuke-kun. "Really, Naruto, I don't think my parents will let me go tonight. How about tomorrow?"

Naruto stepped back from glaring into Sasuke's face with a cheerful grin. "Sure, I'll have a clone meet you guys at the bridge to lead you to my place around five."

Sakura turned to Sasuke, a request for him to walk her home on her lips but instead she bit her lip, smiled, and ran off, leaving the two boys alone.

For a moment the two stared after her curiously and wondering what that was about.

"Offer is still there, Teme," Naruto reiterated, relaxing into a slouch reminiscent of their sensei.

Sasuke stared after Sakura's retreating figure. Since Kakashi had pointed out that Naruto had been orchestrating his and Sakura's decisions, he had been watching Naruto far more closely than he had previously. In the academy, he had been quick to dismiss the blonde knucklehead, but Naruto hadn't let him. The blonde had been persistent in grabbing his attention, time after time. Sasuke was slowly coming to the realization that Naruto had been one of the things that had kept him sane after That Day. Naruto was a source of normalcy in the midst of abrupt change, and the only person that had not treated him any different than before. Now the blonde was showing Sasuke a glimpse of the shinobi the Uchiha hadn't known existed beneath the idiocy. Sometimes, the Blonde would subtly taunt him with the knowledge that he had secrets (Sasuke recalled other times he had dismissed slips of skill from the blonde) and was daring him to attempt to figure them out.

He would figure them out, but not today. Today he wanted to visit his family's shrine and tell them about his mission. It had been a long time since he had tended to the monument. So he voiced a promise, "Tomorrow, Dobe."

Naruto accepted that with a small smile. "See you then... Sasuke."

Startled, Sasuke turned and watched Naruto dart away. That was the first time the other boy had ever said his name without the customary -teme.

* * *

While his students made their way to their respective homes, Kakashi waited for the Professor to comment on the in depth report he had given once the Genin left.

The mission had left Kakashi with mixed feelings: On one hand, he was pleased with how his team was finally starting to get along, but on the other, he was shaken at how close he had come to losing them. He needed to step up his personal training to avoid the mistakes he had made. He did not need his Hokage to scold him for allowing himself to fall victim to chakra exhaustion with Genin to protect; he was already planning on letting Gai plan his training regime for the next week. Kakashi was dreading the Manly Tears of Youth, his green clad friend would shed at the request.

Naruto's behaviour was also concerning. The boy had drawn on the Kyubi's chakra with far too much familiarity and control for the Jonin's comfort.

He would corner Naruto's mentor, as soon as his Hokage let him go, and find out exactly _what_ that woman had taught the boy.

Speaking of which, he still needed to give his recommendation for Aioka's team.

"Thank you Kakashi-kun," Hiruzen sighed, mentally making a note to watch Naruto more closely. It disturbed him that Kakashi mentioned Naruto's mask. He had never suspected the rambunctious blonde of having one.

Kakashi relaxed and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Of course. Do you need anything else, Hokage-sama?"

"No."

"Hmm, I have a recommendation to make for the Exams."

Hiruzen blinked. It had been quite some time since Kakashi had recommended anyone for advancement. "Oh?"

"Hai. A team of Career Genin led by one Shojikina Aioka. Naruto introduced them and requested a spar before we left for Wave." Kakashi straightened when his Hokage focus intensified.

"Explain."

Kakashi did, curious about that reaction. What had Aioka-san done to get the Hokage's attention? Whatever it was, it didn't seem to be negative attention. Which was good. He would hate to get between her and Naruto. Naruto viewed the older Genin as a mentor/sister figure if he read the boy's reactions right when he had watched the two interact before the Wave mission.

Hiruzen was concerned by what he was hearing. Ever since he had discovered Naruto had been thrown out of the orphanage at six, he had made time to see the son of his successor (and predecessor). The boy had shared everything with him during those visits; no matter how small the detail was, the lonely boy had shared every moment that had passed since the last time the two had seen each other. It was shocking to find that Naruto had hid something from him.

Something cold and bitter settled in the old man's chest. It hurt that the boy hid this from him, and made him afraid of the reasons for such secrecy.

"I was unaware that Naruto knew Shojikina-san. What is your opinion of her?"

"She's a good Kunoichi and a better sensei. From what I was able figure out, she has some clout in the Genin Corp: I witnessed her giving orders on various matters in their HQ and receiving reports from other Career Genin. Naruto trains with her daily when in the village and seems to live with her. She calls Jonin Nara Shikoru, Tou-san and seems to be accepted as such by him. She is not intimidated by rank. I requested that she join Naruto at the next Team 7 meeting she was available for. She did not go out of her way to fulfil my request, rather, she seemed to be genuinely unavailable." Kakashi paused to show his bemusement. "That is the first time anyone has ignored an invitation to train with a team of mine."

Hiruzen smiled distractedly at that. It seemed he had not looked into the faux Genin Commander close enough. He had not been aware she had such close ties with the Nara clan or with Naruto. That would not do.

"Report to Ibiki and get briefed on Shojikina Aioka. I want you to find out what her exact relationship with Naruto and the Nara's is. How you choose to go about it, I leave to your discretion. I would prefer to avoid violence but am not opposed to it if you feel it necessary."

"Hai, Hokage-sama."

Kakashi's mind raced as he made his way to Ibiki's office. What had happened while he was gone?

 **A:CG**

"Tadaime, Aioka-nee!"

Aioka laughed as the blonde blur tackled her. "Welcome home!"

Naruto gleefully lifted his mentor off her feet and tightened his hug, laughing when Aioka gasped and batted at his back. "Yes, yes; you are the super strong Uzumaki Naruto! Now put me down, gaki."

Grinning, the teen set her down. "Miss me?"

"Always, Kit," Aioka reassured with a fond grin and ruffle of blonde hair. "I have leftovers warming up. Go clean up."

Naruto obeyed eagerly. He had _missed_ Aioka's cooking. Inari's mom wasn't a bad cook, but Aioka was taught by an _Akimichi_.

While clones restocked his mission pack and cleaned and sharpened his weapons, Naruto showered and took his dirty laundry to the washroom. Hopefully his nee-chan would wait until they finished eating before questioning him. It wasn't exactly a discussion he wanted to give over a meal. Meal times weren't meant for seriousness in his opinion.

Pulling on an orange sleeveless shirt, Naruto eagerly followed his nose to the kitchen and set the table.

"Smells awesome, nee-chan!"

Aioka grinned at the blonde, vastly amused by the way the teen swallowed to prevent drool from escaping. "Thanks. Now eat before you drown."

With a sheepish grin, Naruto called out a customary 'itadakimasu' before digging in with gusto and asking what he had missed while he was gone.

Having ate not too long ago with her friends, Aioka spent most of the meal talking: filling the blonde in on what had happened.

Naruto listened intently; tensing on occasion when he recognized how badly things could have gone for his nee-chan, and beaming when he learned she and Iruka were friends. He had hoped those two would get along.

"Sensei gave me and my team the next couple days off. Do you think we could come watch your teams train?"

Aioka shrugged her acceptance but looked at him quizzically. "Rough mission?" C-Ranks didn't usually require more than a day to recover from; month long ones or not.

Naruto sighed and looked at his empty plate. "Yeah. I," he clenched his chopsticks,"I could've got my teammates killed, nee-chan. I was too indecisive about leading. If I hadn't been so selfish, Haku might still be alive."

Aioka stilled as she reached to start clearing the table, hearing her ward's agony, and wondered how someone had managed to die on such a low-risk mission. One of her Genin had been nearby when Team 7 received the mission and had thoughtfully informed Aioka of the details he had overheard. How had a C-rank escort mission led to the death of someone Naruto had befriended?

"The dishes can wait. Let's move to the living room," Aioka directed, retracting her reaching hand and standing.

Naruto obeyed, weariness that went beyond physical exhaustion weighing the air around them with bitter tension. With a fortifying breath, Naruto related the events that led to Haku's death. His tone only relaxing once he told of his teammate's responses to his dinner invitation.

Aioka settled an arm around his shoulders when he finished speaking. "Learning when to drop your facade isn't something I can teach you, Naruto," the woman began. "I can't go with you on missions and give you some signal. It will come with experience."

Naruto grimaced but acknowledged the truth in her words. He had already known this, but it was good to hear it.

"Also," Aioka continued, ruffling his hair fondly, "it will be easier once you extend some trust to your teammates."

Naruto batted halfheartedly at the offending hand. "Mah, I'm trying now aren't I?"

Copper eyes rolled. "I suppose late is better than never," she agreed wryly. For a moment they sat quietly, simply enjoying each others company. "Have you decided?"

Naruto's eyes narrowed in confusion and then relaxed into a frown. "No, not really."

Aioka accepted that and dropped a kiss on his hair. "Come on, those dishes won't wash themselves."

Decisions about trusting the Hokage and Teammates were set aside as the two cleared the table. There was plenty of time to choose how to approach them.

 **A:CG**

Aioka looked down at the two Genin in her entryway, amused by the open bewilderment on the face of the kunoichi of Team 7 and the puzzlement hidden in the depth of the eyes of Naruto's opposite.

"Welcome to our home, Uchiha-san, Haruno-san, please come in."

The younger Kunoichi blushed, quickly bowing and thanking her demurely; showing Aioka that the girl's parents were ensuring the child didn't forget civilian manners. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as it would help the girl interact with clients in the future, but it would lead other shinobi and kunoichi to view her as incompetent.

Kunoichi, far more than Shinobi, had many faces they must maintain with people. There were many unspoken rules of conduct that they must know: Kunoichi to kunoichi, kunochi to shinobi, and kunoichi to civilians. Each social interaction had its own code of conduct. Codes that Aioka saw falling into obscurity as the years past, and causing tension in the older kunoichi whenever faced with their younger counterparts. Aioka made a note to ask Iruka about the kunoichi classes at the Academy and point out the gaps she was seeing.

The Uchiha hesitated a moment but eventually gave her a shallow bow, politely gazing beyond her rather than meeting her gaze. Aioka was surprised by the respect the doujutsu user was showing her. Many people avoided the gazes of doujutsu users and the Yamanaka, so, as a sign of courtesy, those clans did not initiate eye contact with a person they were amiable to getting to know. Granted, the Yamanaka's were generally the only ones that were courteous enough to follow this social rule consistently. The Uchiha and Hyuga were arrogant, and only their most humble clan members did this.

Aioka smiled and stepped aside. "Come, Naruto is laying out dinner. If you need to wash up, the bathroom is the door is on the left," Aioka commented, motioning down a short hall on the other side of the living room.

The two Genin declined and followed her into the kitchen where they promptly paused to stare at their third teammate. Naruto had chosen to drop his public henge.

Sakura gaped. "Naruto?"

Sasuke was equally surprised but hid it behind an assessing stare. The blonde was no longer the shortest on the team and was far more built than either had ever suspected.

Clad in casual cargo pants and a dark orange shirt, Naruto flashed his teammates a relaxed smile.

"Hey, guys. Ready to eat?"

"Why are you wearing a henge?" Sakura flushed as three pairs of eyes turned to her: two amused and the third blank.

"I'm not. I usually use henge when I'm in public," Naruto answered, smiling at his kunoichi teammate. "Come on, sit. Me and Nee-chan will sit at the ends."

The four situated themselves and dug in at Naruto's urging.

"This is really good," Sakura said with honest surprise.

Naruto grinned when Sasuke grunted between bites of a tomato based dish, "Thanks, Aioka-nee started teaching me five years ago."

Sakura frowned around some tempura (it didn't escape her notice that Naruto had fixed her and Sasuke's favorite dishes). "I don't remember you mentioning it before." In fact, she couldn't think of a time that Naruto ever mentioned knowing Shojikina-san before the spar with that older Genin team. Until a week ago, Sakura hadn't believed the blonde to be capable of dressing properly, let alone hide an alter ego. "How did you meet?"

Aioka answered as she set her chopsticks down and reached for her tea. "Two Recruits were antagonizing him and I intervened. I've been mentoring him ever since.

"You taught him tree walking," Sasuke stated. Studying the woman who had taught the Genin team that had humiliated him and his teammates before the Wave mission.

Aioka nodded. "Yes, among other things."

"Sensei had Naruto teach us while we were in Wave," Sakura piped up, absently wondering what a Recruit was. She couldn't recall learning about that rank in the Academy.

Naruto flushed when Aioka looked at him, he had neglected to mention that. "They did really good. Sakura-chan made it to the top of her tree on her first try and Sasuke-teme got it in two days. He was only as bad as I was on my second day."

Aioka blinked then smiled. Naruto's second day had him blowing bark off trees. The first day he had been blowing holes clear through them. "That's impressive, you two."

Sasuke frowned. "It took me two days." That was not as impressive as Sakura's first try.

"On average it takes a week to be able to walk on vertical surfaces reliably," Aioka explained, easily falling into the familiar lecture. "As a rule, the larger a person's chakra reserves, the longer it takes to learn. However, it is very rare for anyone, no matter how small their reserves, to manage tree walking on their first try.

"While Sakura seems to have excellent control, it also means she has very small reserves. You, on the other hand, have larger reserves and less control: which means you will have more chakra at your disposal but will need to practice often if you ever want to master any of your techniques."

"How long did it take you, Naruto?" Sakura asked, leaning forward a bit and expecting exaggerated boasts, but was bemused by the blonde's shrug and deflection.

"A lot longer than you guys. Have you guys been to the Genin Corp HQ before? I usually train over there whenever I can."

The conversation veered away from comparison between Naruto and his teammate's control, to the Genin Corp and its duties. Aioka shooed the three to the living room when it was clear they were done eating, and began cleaning up. When she joined them again, Sakura instantly turned to her for confirmation of Naruto's claims about the Genin Corp.

"Come to the HQ tomorrow, Haruno-san," Aioka invited. "It's good to see for yourself rather than trusting someone at their word all the time."

Sakura blinked at the mixed challenge and rebuke, wondering what it was that the older kunoichi seemed to have against her. Sakura wasn't used to adults treating her the way Shojikina-san did. The woman was friendly yet there was alway some unnamed _expectation_ in the woman's posture whenever Sakura interacted with her. Adults had always been charmed by her politeness and readily accepted her. Shojikina-san, on the other hand, was not. Sakura could recall a time when the woman did not have that strange expectation of her, but that was before she joined the academy. Startled by the thought, Sakura zoned out trying to puzzle out what the Academy had to do with the older kunoichi's behavior. Shouldn't Shojikina-san treat her more familiarly _because_ she was kunoichi now too?

"I will be training a couple of my older teams around 5am. Both of you are more than welcome to come watch. Naruto can give you a tour afterwards and then the three of you can make use of the training hall if you wish."

Sasuke's interest was visible. "What will you be drilling them in?"

Aioka smirked. "Come and see."

The boy scowled but it lacked a certain heat he usually directed at people who teased him. "Fine."

Shojikina Aioka interested the young Uchiha. When he had first met her and her team, he had dismissed her as he had dismissed anyone who he found useless. How would people almost twice his age make him stronger when they were still Genin? The spar had quickly disillusioned him of his superiority. At the time he had been in disbelief that the three shinobi he had faced were Genin. He had never faced anyone in the Academy who beat him in a spar (student or sensei). Since _That Day_ , Sasuke had never lost a spar until the Bell Test. Losing to Career Genin had been a major blow to his pride but the way Aioka had taught the individual spars interested him. It was challenging. When Kakashi adopted the method, it proved to Sasuke that there was something different about the Career Genin and he was eager to learn what it was.

Naruto grinned. "Great! Neh, Sakura-chan, are you going to go?"

"What?" Sakura startled, jerking from her thoughts with a confused blink.

"Are you coming with the Teme and me in the morning?"

"What time and where are we meeting?" She wouldn't pass up more time with Sasuke.

"5am outside Ichiraku's."

Sakura mentally cringed at the time. She would have to get up at 4am to get ready. "Okay."

Aioka smiled when Naruto cheered and glanced at the time. "It's getting late you three."  
Naruto checked the time and nodded his agreement. "Thanks for coming over guys. Would you like me to walk you home Sakura-chan?"

Aioka left Naruto to see his teammates out and returned to the kitchen to put the dishes away. The night had gone well. Whether or not it was because of her presence, Aioka didn't know, but she was pleased that there hadn't been any arguments.

There were many things she wanted to bring up with their Sensei though. Mainly about Sakura. The girl desperately needed a solid kunoichi role model.

The Uchiha was already coming around. There was more contemplation in the boy's eyes then there had been before the Wave mission. She was looking forward to seeing how the two responded to seeing how her Corp acted.


	17. 016 Learning Shojikina Aioka pt1

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

 **A/N:** This chapter was a lot of fun to write. Enjoy Kakashi's POV, he's going to be here for a couple chapters =)

* * *

Kakashi let his head fall back against his couch with a rueful sigh. Gai was going to be insufferable for the next few weeks. Or months...possibly years.

After being briefed by Ibiki and reading everything Intelligence had on Aioka—which was pathetically little—Kakashi had sought out the taijutsu genius. Gai had made the promise to whip Kakashi back into shape, after a, ah, _youthful_ display of being overwhelmed by Kakashi's request. The insanity that Maito Gai called training had effectively distracted the Copy Nin from what he learned, and made him realize exactly how far he had strayed from his previous training habits since his forced retirement from Anbu. Kakashi was eager to reclaim his status as an S-rank shinobi—he had fallen to A-rank, and that wasn't acceptable.

Kakashi tried to force his muscles to relax, but they refused to cooperate; Gai wasn't going to let him forget this for the rest of their lives, Kakashi just knew it.

Dragging a hand through his hair, Kakashi slouched forward and focused on his copy of Aioka's file. He couldn't decide if he was impressed by the woman's ability to fade into obscurity or irritated that village security had slipped so badly. He hoped Aioka was just that good because if security was failing, something was very wrong. Letting out a short huff, he picked the file up and flipped through it again, comparing it against what he already knew of the woman.

There was a lot missing. Intelligence knew the surface level details of her professional life—they had every mission report she had ever written since her graduation, after all—but they knew nothing about her actual skills, nor did they know a thing about her private life. There was no mention of her Nara ties or her attachment to Naruto; her medical file matched her mission reports with only two incidents that were marked as 'training accidents.' An incident where she suffered from a brain hemorrhage—but no mention of the cause— and severe chakra burns to the hands and forearms from an experimental jutsu gone wrong.

They didn't even have her current address. The one on file was the housing she was given after passing Immigration Screening. It was unclear when she moved to her new location.

As he read, Kakashi filed away lists of thing to do. Finding out about her housing would be easy enough. A simple trip to the realtor who dealt with the district Aioka lived in would give him answers. Getting answers from the medic who saw to her training injuries would be a little tricky but doable.

Fortunately, he could fill in some of the blanks about the woman's combat abilities. His observations from following her and Naruto before the Wave mission allowed for that.

It wasn't as if Aioka tried to hide her skills, per se, she just didn't go out of her way to advertise them like many other shinobi did. She also shamelessly took advantage of people's preconceived beliefs of what a Career Genin was, and was not, capable of doing. When he had shadowed her, he saw how shinobi had dismissed her even though she had a habit of hiding her signature—a habit that had been present from her first day in village. He couldn't help but wonder why she had been allowed to fade into the Genin Corp. With a bit of training, she would have been an excellent asset in Anbu or Intelligence.

He would start his mission tomorrow… after he met with Gai. He foresaw a distinct lack of reading in his near future.

 **A:CG**

He was right. He only had time to read when he took Team 7 out on D-ranks, though even then he didn't actually read because Team 7 was proving to be far more interesting than his wonderful Icha Icha. Whatever Team 7 was learning during their mornings at the Genin Corp HQ, it had significantly improved their relations. Oh, he wouldn't call his team compatible yet, but there was a definite reduction of personality clashes.

Naruto's mask was still firmly in place during missions, but it relaxed a little when it was just them. Sakura still made eyes at Sasuke and looked to him for approval, but she was making more of an effort to actually _work_ while doing missions. She also refrained from physically striking Naruto, though her words were still sharp and shrill when the blonde did something to irritate her. Sasuke seemed to be more relaxed, and was showing interest in what was happening around him. It was a minor miracle in Kakashi's opinion. The change gave Kakashi hope that the young Uchiha was healing.

Besides the interpersonal changes, Kakashi was fascinated by the new way his team dealt with the mission he gave them. They took turns leading, and actually listened to whoever was in charge. Leadership would occasionally change mid mission, too. Sakura led whenever they had to deal with the client, Sasuke laid out a plan of action and assigned tasks, and Naruto was the troubleshooter. The transitions weren't smooth, and there were bouts of arguing over who should have the lead, but it was promising all the same.

When he dismissed them for the day, he was pleased to see that they stayed to talk afterwards. The conversations resembled a business meeting more than anything else, and part of him figured that that was for the best, at least until they were more friendly with each other. Regardless, the changes he saw in his team gave Kakashi a valid reason to approach Aioka in a more personal manner.

Entering the Genin HQ for the first time without sneaking in was an experience. As a notable shinobi of Konoha, Kakashi was used to a certain level of staring, no matter where he went. Even in the Jonin lounge there were always a few eyes that lingered on his face for longer than what could be considered polite. After the initial acknowledgement of his presence, the Genin ignored him. They kept themselves aware of him, but they didn't stare. Why was it that _Career Genin_ could be polite and his peers could not? It was disconcerting.

After watching the genin train for a while, the jonin wander over to a shinobi sharpening kunai and shuriken. "Mah, could you direct me to Shojikina Aioka, Genin-san?"

The man glanced up and promptly hid his hero worship before it fully manifested in his expression. Kakashi was more than impressed with whatever emotional training the Genin Corp went through.

"Hai, Hatake-san," the shinobi said, and motioned toward a trio of entrances beyond him. "Just follow the right most hall until you get to the stairs. Soutachio's office is at the top."

Kakashi nodded his thanks and made his way across the training hall, amused that he felt the shinobi's eyes remain on him for several seconds.

On the stairs, a broad genin with a maroon hitai-ate stopped him briefly to hear his reasons for being in the stairwell.

Kakashi watched the genin leave with a hooded gaze. Not only did these Genin have excellent emotional control, they weren't half bad at genjutsu. That genin had a subtle genjutsu clinging to an earing that encouraged its' victims to speak truths. The skill he was seeing was unreal.

Turning back to the stairs, Kakashi forced his shoulders into a slouch to ward off the wary tension that threatened to tighten them. Genin or no, these shinobi were not to be underestimated.

Kakashi paused near the top of the stairs warily. The steps were steep and would not allow him a chance to see what was at the top. It was a decent defence and unnerving for anyone coming up. A quick peek with his sharingan informed him that Aioka was alone at her desk and that there were a number of storage seals scattered throughout the room. Deeming himself safe he finished his climb and found the woman meeting his gaze dead-on, apparently unsurprised by his presence.

Kakashi lifted a hand in two-fingered salute and said, "Yo."

An amused smile crossed the woman's lips. "Hello, Hatake-san. Come in. Let me finish this document and I'll give you my full attention."

Kakashi eyed the three leaves of paper in her hand, then gave a nod and turned his attention to the shelves of books that lined the walls. He ran his finger along the spines of the books as he went.

They were mainly Histories written by civilians, studies on human behaviour by Yamanaka's, and communication guides. There was a scattering of chakra theory, taijutsu overviews, and acrobatic texts. All the books were civilian friendly but were the most unbiased take on the subjects mentioned that Kakashi was aware of. It seemed the Kunoichi valued quality teaching and learning materials.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a scroll that sat on the end of one of the shelves, and wandered over in its direction, unfurling it and letting his eyes wander over its contents. It was a guidebook, it seemed, called "The Mandatory Skills of the Genin Corp". It was informative—he would be giving the hokage a head's up about it, that much he was certain of. If this was the standard the Career Genin were being held to, no wonder the Corp had remained unnoticed for so long. Most interesting was the author: Shojikina Aioka.

The sound of a drawer closing drew Kakashi from the scroll. The black haired woman seemed relieved to be done with whatever those papers had been.

"My apologies for the wait, Hatake-san, what can I do for you?"

Kakashi eyed her for a moment, taking note of the faint pinching around her eyes, and then closed up the scroll as he came to an impulsive decision. "I owe you lunch."

"You do?"

Kakashi's eye closed, giving her an eye smile. "Yeah, I believe I do. It's the least I can do for whatever you've done to my team." He probably owed more than that, even if he hadn't asked for the help. He was not teaching material, at least not for baby genin. They were far too impressionable for his tastes. "Don't tell me you're passing up free food?"

The kunoichi gave an amused huff. "If you insist, Hatake-san," she conceded with a bemused smile.

"Kakashi is fine," he corrected.

"Aioka then, Kakashi-san. What did you have in mind?"

Kakashi watched as the woman straightened her desk, noting the sheer number of traps she had on it with some surprise, and took advantage of her distraction to slip the scroll into his vest. "The Rusty Kunai serves decent food."

"Mm, I've never been there. Are you sure the other jonin won't mind me encroaching on their turf?"

Kakashi angled toward the stairs as the Genin Commander—he still couldn't believe he hadn't known that was an actual rank—made her way toward him. "Mah, they'll gossip some but they won't bother us." While they were there, at least. Kakashi would be disappointed if nobody tried to be nosy afterwards, though. He fully expected to have comrades—namely Genma— knocking on his door by this evening.

He was already looking forward to the various ways he was going to screw with those who decided they needed more information. His trapping skills were getting a little rusty, with how few targets were available to him; he could only go so far against his genin, after all, but his fellow jonin were fair game for whatever sadistic creations he could think up.

The woman levelled him with an unimpressed look, and he felt the hints of a grin pulling at his mouth. Clearly, she'd been around her fair share of jonin, and knew how intrusive they could be when they found a new point of interest.

"Right," she said, voice flat. "If my work is interrupted more than twice, I'll sic Naruto on you."

"I'm terrified," he answered dryly. He kept his strides long, making an effort to keep in front of her, but didn't disrupt his casual air to do so. He was the larger threat, and it would be impolite to make a kunoichi put an unfamiliar shinobi in her blind spot while going down something as narrow as a stair case.

"You obviously haven't been subject to his displeasure. Naruto can get… creative with people who irritate him."

The vindictiveness in Aioka's tone gave Kakashi a pause. Perhaps he should think about that threat a little more before dismissing it. He hadn't seen what lay beneath the blond's mask yet, so there could be a genuine reason for the kunoichi's confidence in Naruto's ability to enact payback in her stead.

"Are you usually so mean?" he drawled, waiting a beat at the bottom of the stairs so the kunoichi could fall into step with him.

Aioka's pointed smile turned to something more genuine as they made their way through the genin corp HQ. "Only when a situation calls for it, Kakashi-san. Now, I'm sure there is more to this outing than taking a poor career genin for free food."

Kakashi shrugged—pretending to not see the woman flash a series of unfamiliar single-hand hand signs at a passing genin. "My team is actually a team for once," he said. "I'd like to know how you accomplished that.".

He wasn't above asking for advice when he needed it, especially not from somebody who he knew could give him valid tips and wouldn't rib him for it. He could see enough into the future to know that if his team had continued in their previously dysfunctional manner, something awful would have happened and Kakashi would have lost yet another team to his incompetence. They were shaping up to be a good team—they weren't there yet, but they were close enough that he no longer felt that their path was one of inevitable disaster.

Beside the tall jonin, Aioka hummed thoughtfully and blinked to adjust to the natural light of the mid-day sun. She couldn't claim to know Naruto's sensei well, but she didn't think he was the type to be so forthcoming about asking for assistance. The shinobi who held the label of 'genius' were typically the type to work things out for themselves, exhausting their resources and banging their head against a wall before even considering getting help. Really, she wondered why he was asking her about it, instead of just shadowing his team and figuring it out for himself—surely the Jonin had more than enough experience with Kage Bunshin to shadow multiple targets?

"I'm not very involved with the rest of Team 7, Kakashi-san," Aioka admitted after a moment. "Naruto has invited them over to have lunch and dinner since returning from Wave, but beyond feeding them, I haven't really interacted with them all that much. It's not my place."

To do anything besides treat those kids like Naruto's friends—even if he wasn't exactly friendly with them— would be presumptuous of her. She was a career genin, commander or not, and she had no authority over jonin-track genin.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, an unconvinced air about him, but let the explanation stand for the moment as they took to the roof tops for a few minutes before dropping down outside the bar. It was fairly busy, and they made a bee-line for one of the few private tables that were open in the back. Once food and drinks were ordered, Kakashi reiterated his desire to know what she did to get his team to interact with each other.

"I have been trying to get them to work together like this since they passed my Jonin-test, without any real success. Would you be willing to continue whatever it is you are doing?"

Aioka frowned. "I can't replace you, Kakashi-san, if that is what you are asking."

"It's not," he refuted, his dark eye gaining a sharp glint. "If their team work continues like this I will be able to actually teach them something other than formations and drill them in teamwork exercises. No, I'd simply like you to encourage their bonds."

If they improved enough, he would recommend them for the upcoming Chunin Exams. He just needed to make it clear to the Hokage that he did not want them to actually advance, only open their eyes to what was expected of a chunin. None of his brats were ready for leading anyone, yet.

"I can do that, Kakashi-san," Aioka agreed after a moment of meeting his hard gaze. What she was searching for, he hadn't a clue but she obviously found it. "I'll continue hosting Uchiha-san and Haruno-san when Naruto invites them over for meals and make myself available to them if they want to ask questions. I won't be able to do more than that for the next month or two, though."

Kakashi let his irritation fade away and shifted, settling himself into his seat, noting how badly his peers were hiding their curiosity. He was glad that no one was approaching them, even if he had had to dispel more than one jutsu that was designed to spy on his conversation. It was amusing to see who flinched when he broke the jutsu, too. So far there were six jonin he had taken note of to humili—uh, _visit_ later.

"Ah, I take it your team received enough vouchers?" he asked, tracking the waitress heading their way. He knew the answer already, but Aioka didn't need to know that.

"Hai."

Kakashi hummed. "What did my cute little genin work on this morning?

His companion snorted at his description of his team and quirked a lazy smile. "My otouto has been expanding on their chakra control."

Kakashi eyed his companion speculatively as the waitress set their food down. Did she insist on a sibling relationship? From what he could tell, Naruto viewed the woman in a more parental role, even though he called the woman nee-chan.

"He did well teaching them tree climbing. Has he moved on to water walking?" he asked, mentally preparing himself for his usual speed eating.

"Not yet. Naruto is building Haruno-san's reserves and perfecting Uchiha-san's control," Aioka replied.

Kakashi waited until her attention shifted, for only a split second, and inhaled the food on his plate. The woman turned back to him and he caught the minute widening of her eyes once she took note of what had happened.

He watched for the change in her expression—pouting, exasperation, and annoyance were the most common reactions to his antics, but he wouldn't be surprised if she showed none of these, as she seemed strangely immune to his theatrics. Was that because Naruto had told her about his quirks, or did she simply not care? He had to admit that he would be disappointed if it were the latter. He needed to have some method of messing with her, and if the usual wasn't enough to get the job done, then he'd have to think outside the box.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she met his gaze and gave the same polite smile she had given him that day their teams had sparred. He decided to dislike that particular expression. It was almost mocking.

"How is your team different?" she inquired while picking up her chopsticks and adjusting the position of her bowl. "I haven't had the opportunity to see them outside the HQ since they started coming over."

It seemed that he would need to put genuine thought into messing with her if he wanted to have any success with it. She was a new problem for him to figure out—given his reputation, it also ended up being a neat cover, an acceptable excuse to give his peers if they started asking why he was bothering a career genin. He still would have preferred if she were an easy target like most others in the village, he liked being lazy.

For the rest of the meal, Kakashi filled Aioka in on his observations of his team, and in turn listened to her explanation for some of their actions. That changing of leadership he noticed during missions had been derived from the Genin Corp's methods for maintaining cohesive teamwork. Each squad of career genin had a designated spokesperson, planner, troubleshooter and observer. Everyone on a squad was an observer in some capacity, but the fourth member wasn't expected to do anything beyond observe and help with the mission. An observer paid attention to the client's body language, home life, and the surrounding area; they were the ones responsible for ensuring that the client was who they said they were. Kakashi had read the report Anbu's Mouse and Ferret had compiled on the Genin Corp, but it still confounded him that Aioka had set the Corp up to be internal village security. He wasn't sure if he how he felt about that. It was part of Anbu's responsibility to manage internal security, and the fact that Anbu hadn't had a clue about what the Corp had been doing troubled him a great deal.

A heavy sigh pulled Kakashi away from digesting the things Aioka had told him, to the woman herself as she slouched sleepily in her seat. Her post meal fatigue was endearing...and surprising. Was she so comfortable with him that she would let her guard down so easily?

"Gah, sorry," Aioka apologized between the yawns she tried to hide by ducking her head. "I need to get back to HQ. Is there anything else you need from me Kakashi-san?"

Kakashi watched amusedly as a blush tinted the woman's cheeks as another yawn escaped her. "No." It was funny that she was embarrassed by her own actions but not his.

She looked up at him, groggy eyes suspicious of his tone but it gave way to a tired dismissal as she sat up. "Thank you for the meal, Kakashi-san. Do you want reports about my time with your students?"

Kakashi laid some money on the table—ignoring the gaping of his fellow Jonin while inwardly cackling at the chaos he was sewing. There was no way the Jonin would be leaving the kunoichi alone now— and stood as Aioka got to her feet. "Mah, that-" he paused. Those reports would be useful to the Hokage and would give the Professor another way of judging the woman's character. And the less he had to write in a report the better. "That isn't a bad idea."

Copper eyes fixated on him again, but this time Kakashi doubted she dismissed whatever it was she deduced from his tone. The more time he spent with her, the more he was sure she would have made Anbu with ease. She was incredibly apt at reading between the lines: an ability that was more valuable in Anbu than chakra reserves.

"I'll send them with Naruto, unless you prefer he doesn't know?" she offered, turning her eyes toward their exit and releasing him from their intensity.

Kakashi fell into step with her, mentally grinning at the way a number of shinobi were checking the genin kunoichi out. "I'll stop by and pick them up once a week."

"So long as you find me before ten in the evening and after five in the morning, Kakashi-san," the woman stipulated once they stepped outside.

Kakashi made a noncommittal noise. Mildly put out she didn't specify any particular time so he could be late. He would simply have to show up right before ten. He knew where she lived after all.

When they parted ways Kakashi sighed. He couldn't put it off any longer, time to deal with his daily dose of Gai. Joy.


	18. 017 Learning Shojikina Aioka pt2

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

 **A/N:** Part two of Learning Shojikina Aioka! You guys get more Kakashi, a glimpse into how an every day career genin sees Aioka, and more!

* * *

 _That was interesting,_ Aioka thought groggily, lifting a hand to cover another yawn.

When Naruto's sensei had shown up, she had had a vague thought that he might have been there to demand an explanation for her continual avoidance of following Naruto to one of their training days. She hadn't been expecting his request for help, nor his offer for lunch.

The _Rusted Kunai_ had been a surprising venue for their outing. It was an unspoken rule that it was a jonin only bar. The only way for any other rank to be welcomed there, was for a jonin to invite them. If a jonin took a lower ranked shinobi into the _Rusted Kunai_ , it was an open endorsement of the lower ranked shinobi's skills and the inviting jonin considered the other shinobi to be worthy of a better status.

Aioka was both flattered by the man's approval and vexed by the publicity of it. She would hold to her threat of siccing Naruto on him if her work was interrupted too many times. While she wasn't exactly overloaded by work, it still required her full attention.

She and her Lieutenants had done well in preparing for the Hokage's approval for their petition. The Chunin Hopefuls had been training as if they had already been granted the privilege, so no one was scrambling to catch up. The teams that were denied participation this time were folded into the beefed up security.

Once the Hokage announced the coming exams, the corp had increased its presence in all parts of the civilian districts under the guise of ensuring the area was free of trash. Konoha wanted to leave a good impression on visiting merchants and nobles, who would undoubtedly come once the Exams drew nearer. That was what the corp said when the people took notice.

The civilians swallowed that easily. Some taking it at face value and admiring how dedicated their shinobi were to making life good for them; others seeing the action for what it was, and feeling secure in the knowledge that Konoha was protecting them.

The only hiccups Aioka was having, was the inability to practice certain drills for worst case scenarios. She did not expect an attack on the village but this was the first time Konoha had this many foreign shinobi in village since Aioka joined the corp. She admitted it was overly paranoid but...it was good practice.

Maybe she could talk to some of her Kurama clan contacts and see if there was a way to use genjutsu to simulate a scenario that would require her shinobi to evacuate the civilians without actually having to leave the HQ or the village. Something to ask.

Catching another yawn, Aioka waved at a pair of Enforcers making their rounds of the HQ's exterior. As thankful as she was for the break Kakashi afforded her, she was regretting allowing herself to get full. She would be battling post meal fatigue for hours. It didn't help that today was paperwork day so she would be glued to her desk, and in a gloriously comfortable chair.

Settling into said chair, Aioka immediately groaned. This was going to suck.

* * *

Harashi Hibari paused at the top of the stairs and smirked. Re-adjusting the load of paper in his arms, the Clerk/Scout moved silently across the distance between the stairs and his commanders' desk. Lowering his burden with minimal noise, he took in the sight of the figure passed out on the main desk.

The woman's head rested on her outstretched left arm—her nose almost grazing the wood of her desk. Her right hand rested over a summary from the Scouting Division, her pen pinned between her palm and the desk.

Her hitai-ate was barely refraining from falling off the back of her head—likely pushed back sometime in her sleep—and her vest was hung haphazardly on the back of her chair.

The genin's smile widened as the woman's nose wrinkle when a loose fringe of black hair tickled her lips and nose. Shaking his head, the young man glanced around for something to cover her with but found nothing.

Shrugging, he took another moment to take in the rare sight of his commander in a state less than professional before leaving quietly. It was an imagine he would silently treasure.

Down stairs, he passed word around that the commander was sleeping. Before to long the noise level in the HQ dwindled. People went about their duties but were conscious of not being any louder than necessary.

The Commander gave them her heart and soul, and they knew it. They knew how much of herself she had poured into them and the corp, and they adored her for it. She deserved any rest she could find and they would do their part to return even a little of the devotion she showed them. Even in something as simple as being quiet so she could sleep.

 **A:CG**

Aioka frowned as her house trembled in response to a door being slammed, and closed her book as raised voices broke the comfortable silence.

"—ready! We've gotten better but we would embarrass ourselves if we go!" Naruto snapped as he and his teammates traded their sandals for the house shoes she had on hand for them.

"You're just being a chicken, Dobe. There is no way we could fail," Sasuke snarled, yanking his sandals off.

Between the two boys, Sakura was worryingly quiet. The pinkette's green eyes caught Aioka's with a strange mix of desperation, fear, and discomfort. Whatever was going on, Aioka was surprised that the girl wasn't backing the Uchiha with her usual vehmenance.

"Nee-chan, tell the Teme we aren't ready for the Chunin Exams!" Naruto demanded without letting up on his glare toward his male teammate.

 _Ah, that was what was going on._ The thought was quickly followed by, _That stupid jonin better of not nominated them._

If the last Hatake had, it wasn't her place to contradict him. Since the surprise lunch—and her impromptu nap—the Copy-nin had found her once a week for her reports on his teams' progress over the last month. Granted the man had taken pleasure in finding her at the most inconvenient times. The Jonin pulled off innocent far to convincingly to _be_ innocent.

Team 7 was improving every day. Sasuke's chakra control had improved enough for him to reduce the amount of smoke from the Academy Three by half and his attitude was much improved. The boy would never be as talkative as either of his team mates, but he was an active participant of the discussions they had when they came to her house.

Sakura's chakra control was already impressive, so they had focused on increasing the girls' reserves. The kunoichi could now last a whole hour doing her katas on the ceiling before she lost the battle to fatigue. The girl was also doing much better about fawning over Sasuke. Apparently a few of the corp kunoichi took the girl to task early on. Aioka didn't know what they said, but whatever it was made Sakura put more effort into her training and to eat better.

Naruto's skills were being refined as he did the same drills as his teammates. His chakra control with kage bunshin now allowed him to make five bunshin with no smoke.

All three were getting much better at fighting as a team. They could now almost fend off one of her less experienced Trainer teams.

Setting her book aside, she leaned back and lifted a brow at the trio. "Were you nominated?"

"No, Aioka-sempai," Sakura answered, flushing when three pairs of eyes turned to her.

Aioka was impressed the girl was speaking up. Whatever was going on was bothering the younger kunoichi enough to step out in front of her shinobi team mates. Not something AIoka expected the girl to do just yet.

Sakura lifted her chin in defiance of the looks she was getting and met Aioka's curious stare. "We ran into a genin team from Suna here for the chunin exams. We haven't been paying much attention to gossip lately so were blindsided by their reason for being in Konoha. Sasuke-kun wants to participate and Naruto disagrees."

Aioka hmmed. She had retreated to her home today because of the mass arrival of new signatures. Even with her dampening, Aioka's head still ached with new information. A good number of the new comers were _not_ genin level but she hadn't expected them to be. The Chunin exams were for countries to display their best and brightest. That meant a good number of the so called genin were only genin in name, not actual skill.

"Let me make tea. While I'm doing that, you three sit down and think about why you want, or don't want, to participate in the Exams," she instructed.

Sasuke scowled and Sakura sighed, but the two moved further into the living room and made themselves comfortable in their usual spots. Sakura on the recliner, Sasuke on the opposite side of the couch Aioka was on, and Naruto tossed himself on the loveseat that sat angled between the two.

When she set the tea pot down and passed out cups, the trio had calmed significantly and Sasuke had gained a sheepish caste to his usually blank expression.

Settling down so she could see all three children, Aioka turned her expectant gaze to Sakura. The girl deserved a chance to speak first. For once Aioka was actually pleased with the girl and she wanted to let the younger kunoichi know.

Judging by the blush the girl was sporting, her approval was noted and Sakura wasn't sure how to deal with it.

"Ano, I'm not ready to become chunin," Sakura offered, shooting an uncertain glance in Sasuke's direction. "As a team I don't think we're ready, either. We've come a long way but we aren't there yet."

Aioka glanced at the boys. Neither looked very surprised by Sakura's response. Apparently they were aware of her feelings on the matter and hadn't cared to include her in their decision on whether or not they should take the Exam. Both probably thought the girl would follow the lead of whoever won the argument.

Right, she would address that in a minute. Turning back to the girl she motioned for her to continue.

Sakura rallied herself, stealing another glance toward Sasuke—the discomfort in her eyes telling Aioka the younger kunoichi was fearful of causing the Uchiha to dislike her yet the fact she was still going to say something made Aioka proud of the girl. She would have to do something to reward the kunoichi's bravery.

"Chunin is about leadership: The ability to handle directing and protecting the lives of their squad mates. It is about making decisions in the heat of the moment. Team 7 is a combat unit. We have power but not a lot of experience. If we had more C-ranks, or even a B-rank or two, I'd be more confident. But," Sakura dropped her gaze and added quietly, "I don't want to lose Naruto or Sasuke. As Chunin we probably wouldn't stay on the same team."

Aioka allowed a small smile at the surprised and considering looks the boys were sending Sakura. The girl's speech wasn't exactly fluid but it got her point across. She believed in her team but knew they had a better chance of success if they waited a bit longer.

"Sasuke-san, you're turn," Aioka said after a moment.

The last Uchiha's gaze lingered on Sakura for a moment before turning to Aioka. His dark eyes irritated but wry. "I want power, Aioka-san. My goal is to avenge my family. Chunin would get me closer to that. But," agitation flared, "Sakura is right, we don't have the experience to be effective Chunin."

There was a lot unsaid in those statements but Aioka wasn't sure if she really wanted to get into that with the boy. Sasuke had come a long way from the bitter ball of anguish from the Academy, but he still wasn't what Aioka would consider a healthy minded young man.

The agitation in his gaze was more than a teenager realizing he had been in the wrong and was irritated that his bubble had been burst. There was lethal violence in the boy and it seemed to Aioka it was only his tentative bonds with his teammates that was holding it back.

She still offered the boy a teasing smile. "Only Sakura was right?"

Sasuke smirked. "The Dobe is a dobe."

Violence gave way to humor as dark eyes flashed to the offended blonde squawking on the love seat.

Aioka snorted and allowed the boys to bicker and Sakura to giggle for a few minutes before clapping to get their attention. "Alright, so what have you decided?"

The three exchanged glances before Sasuke sighed. "We aren't ready yet so we won't hound Kakashi...sensei to let us participate."

Aioka nodded, silently pleased that the Uchiha was starting to show respect to Kakashi. It had taken several discussions between the four of them before Sasuke saw how showing respect could benefit him in the long run. It helped that Aioka presented it as a way for the boy to practice deception. Whether or not the respect was genuine would only be seen with time.

Aioka found it ironic that the next morning, Team 7 came to tell her the Kakashi had, in fact, decided to nominate them for the Chunin Exams. The only thing that saved the Jonin from more than a thin smile next time she saw him, was the fact he had sat the three down to explain that they would _not_ be advancing this time around. He was only letting them participate in the exam for the experience of a mock war situation in a semi controlled environment.

As it was the jonin received a very chilled greeting the next time he showed up.

"Aa, I take it my cute genin told you the news?" Kakashi asked, pocketing his hands as he fell into step with her on her walk home for the evening.

Aioka snorted at the needless inquiry and adjusted her hold on her groceries. "Nope."

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you Aioka-san," Kakashi chided with a happy eye smile.

Aioka grunted. She really had no right to disagree with the jonin's decisions for his team but she couldn't—and refused to—help the protectiveness she felt toward Naruto and, to lesser extent, his team.

"May I be blunt, Kakashi-san?" she asked, keeping her pace steady and making note of the foreign signatures wandering nearby and who their tails were. Anbu would be busy and stretched thin.

"If you accept the same from me," he capitulated, his gaze roving carelessly over the road before them.

"I think you are doing your team a disservice by allowing them in the Exam."

"How so?"

Aioka expected disapproval but the arctic inquiry was a bit much. So much for allowing her to be blunt. "Will you retaliate if I answer that?"

The sour look he gave her earned him one of skepticism.

Eventually he huffed a chuckle. "You are annoying, Aioka-san."

"Mmm, you'd be the first to say so," Aioka agreed with amusement. Wondering if he would let her get back to her original line of conversation, or if he decided he didn't want her opinion.

The walked in silence until they came to her house and she handed him her groceries so she could disable her traps. Naruto was staying at his apartment with Sasuke. Aioka hadn't got the story on why the Uchiha had decided to move out of the compound but she was too pleased by the move to question it closely.

"They need the experience, and the wake up call," Kakashi finally explained, his tone pensive as he watched her. "Not many have this safe of an environment to get a feel for battling enemy shinobi."

Aioka couldn't disagree with that but there were other consequences that needed to be consider. Opening the door, Aioka motioned the Jonin in with her head. "Come in, I suppose what I want to say shouldn't be said in the open."

* * *

Kakashi accepted the invitation and toed off his sandals as Aioka closed the door. He had not been in her home before but was unsurprised by the feeling of 'home' the place gave off.

"Here. You can wear these."

Kakashi tilted his head at the house shoes his hostess pushed toward him as she pick up her own. Those were definately men's house shoes. Her father's perhaps?

A second glance at the entryway showed a surprising number of houseshoes. Three pairs obviously belonged to his genin, but there were a number of mens house shoes and one other pair of womens house shoes. Interesting

Passing the groceries back over, he slipped the offered shoes on while Aioka left for an opening across the living room. Judging by the scents in that direction, it was a safe bet it was the kitchen.

Aioka's home was tidy but lived in. A book lay on the arm of the couch. A kunai holster laid on the coffee table. Kakashi squinted and snorted a small laugh, there was a frog print sock balled in the corner by the bookshelves on the far wall. Amused, he made his way to where Aioka had disappeared.

He had been right—it was the kitchen. Like the living room, it was tidy yet lived in. Instead of socks, books, and holsters, there were kunai, spoons, and a half hidden ramen cup scattered around. Kakashi eyed the ramen cup with a small grin and wondered if Naruto was purposefully hiding his things in random spots because he was pretty sure a ramen cup couldn't get wedged between the ceiling and cabinets on its own.

"Tea, sake, milk, or juice, Kakashi-san?"

Kakashi turned his gaze from a badly embroidered dish towel hanging on the fridge to gaze at Aioka's back as she pulled a bottle of sake from an upper cabinet.

"Sake, please." The woman had proven several times over that she wasn't interested in seeing his face. She had gone so far as to eat with her back to him the one time he had showed up while she was eating. She had pushed some of her food over and had turned her back. It was yet another thing about her that intrigued him and kept his mission from getting boring.

The Hokage was pleased with Kakashi's reports but seemed torn over what he was learning. The aged Hokage was pleased with how Naruto was turning out but he seemed...grieved about it at the same time. Kakashi tried not to think about it too much. Other people's emotions were not his forte.

The more he learned about the woman, the more Kakashi wanted to know. By all rights the woman shouldn't be how she was.

She wasn't a native, yet she showed more patriotism and loyalty than most. She was a career genin, yet had the self assurance of an experienced jonin. She started with nothing but rags, yet now lived modestly.

Her history was shrouded in mystery and Kakashi wanted to know what those shadows hid.

"May I speak as Aioka to Kakashi, Kakashi-san?"

Kakashi blinked as he accepted the small cup of warmed sake. That was an interesting way of asking if they were adhering to rank or not.

"Mah, Aioka-san, you make it sound like I'm looking for a reason to hurt you," he complained lightly as he settled into a kitchen chair.

The woman snorted. "Just because I invited you in as a guest doesn't mean our ranks vanish, Kakashi-san."

Why was he only now realizing how politically aware the woman was? Mentally shaking off his surprise he caught her eye. "Whatever is said about my team within your home will not be used against you, Aioka-san."

The woman smiled in thanks and pulled some rice balls from the fridge before settling across from him.

"I'll start with Sakura," she began, turning her gaze to her cup when he reached for a rice ball. Kakashi kept an eye on her just in case she tried to peek. He didn't quite trust her enough to eat very slowly.

"By taking this exam, Sakura will be forced to show how outclassed she is by her teammates. She will have to endure the whispers of how she is holding the 'last Uchiha' back. Most won't say it in a mean spirit but the girl will take it as such.

"It is something she could overcome with proper support, but Sakura doesn't have that." Here Aioka raise a hand before he could open his mouth to protest—she didn't lift her eyes though.

"Sakura is not Naruto or Sasuke, Kakashi-san. She doesn't see a single 'good job' or a pat on the head as enough. Granted she does like your hair ruffles."

Kakashi choked at the smirk playing on her lips. "Please don't tell me she has a crush on me," he pleaded, folding his hands around his glass on the table. He did NOT want to touch that with a thousand yard pole.

Aioka snickered and lifted her head to take a sip of her drink. Apparently she was watching for his hands to signal when it was safe for her to look up.

"She doesn't, sorry," she smirked, mischief dancing in her eyes.

Kakashi grimaced, banishing his previous panic. "Right."

Aioka sobered, her gaze meeting his steadily. "Sakura doesn't really have any friends and her parents aren't home enough to give her the support she needs. She will also have to suffer the embarrassment of not knowing proper kunoichi conduct. For whatever reason, the Academy has failed to properly pass on kunoichi etiquette to civilians and she will pay for it when she interacts with the foreign kunoichi."

"Kunoichi etiquette?" Kakashi inquired, frowning as he contemplated the disdain the woman seemed to hold the Academy with. There had been no effort to hide the sneer when she made mention of the place.

The way Aioka blinked, closed her eyes, and drug a hand down her face raised a flag in his mind. It seemed the woman thought such a question shouldn't need to be ask.

"I'll try to explain that another time, Kakashi-san. Just know that Kunoichi are taught more than flower language and seduction and that Sakura, along with other civilian girls, haven't been receiving proper education for upward seven years."

That did not sound good and was something he would be sure to mention to the Hokage later. "I'll expect a more thorough answer when we are no longer just Aioka and Kakashi, Aioka-san," he warned dryly.

"Consider it a promise," Aioka agreed, twisting her cup distractedly.

Kakashi thought back over his companions argument, and wondered what kunoichi named Haruno Sakura, Aioka was seeing. Because the emotionally fragile child she was describing did not resemble the young kunoichi on his team. The Sakura he knew had a core of steel. But he would save his defence until he heard the rest of his hostess's worries.

"Naruto and Sasuke?" he prompted.

Aioka reached for another rice ball. Her hand amusingly multi colored due to tan lines from fingerless gloves. His own hands once had such lines, but after a mission where his target had identified him as a shinobi by those lines, he had taken to ensuring to take the gloves off when he could.

Less amusing were the scars that climbed from wrists to elbows. The scars were silvered and smooth. She was fortunate that they were not ridged and did not interfere with wrist movements. Kakashi had seen similar chakra burns restrict shinobi's ability to manipulate sebon and shurikan due to the constriction such scars put on fine motor skills. Hopefully he would get the opportunity to ask how that happened.

"Sasuke: I am less hesitant after a conversation I had with Team 7 the other day, but still wary," Aioka stated.

If she was wary of the last Uchiha, Kakashi hadn't seen it. She treated the boy as she did any of her genin: impartially.

A few grains of rice landed on Aioka's shirt, drawing his gaze to the grey material. The fabric was well worn but cared for. Kakashi wondered distractedly if she wore her clothes to rags like he did.

"The boy needs a Yamanaka."

That was an inarguable fact but there was no way the council was going to allow it. Not when Sasuke himself didn't want it.

"He declined," Kakashi mused, watching her from a hooded eye— wondering what her response would be. On one hand, the woman was utterly for her corp to be people and not simply tools, yet on the other she was very much a dictator and ruled the genin corp with an iron fist. An iron fist gloved in velvet, but still an iron fist.

"I don't give a damn if the boy refused originally, he's a shinobi of Konoha now and can be forced to go like any other operative with a questionable psych. The longer he goes with whatever skewed reality he's formed, the worse the fall out is going to be," she snapped. Her eyes glaring vaguely over his shoulder and her lip curling in indignation—whether on Sasuke's behalf for not being required to get help or for the fact that Konoha was bowing to the whims of a child, Kakashi couldn't tell.

"Naruto has helped as much as he can without sharing his own secrets," she continued, refocusing on his face. "The Exam will force him into situations that will undoubtedly trigger flash-backs. Without any tools to handle the reopening of mental wounds, Sasuke can destroy all progress Team 7 has made with each other. Right now Sasuke is in the best mental state he's been since the Massacre and I would hate to see him lose his balance and slip into madness."

Those were all... excellent points of argument. He could not deny that Sasuke would be susceptible to flashbacks but he felt the woman was underestimating the boy. He held his tongue and motioned for her to continue.

Aioka dropped her gaze automatically as he plucked up the last rice ball. "Naruto is ready for advancement. From what I understand of other shinobi villages, Naruto would have been granted advancement long ago, even with his burden."

Kakashi silently agreed—Aioka was a good cook: the rice balls were delicious—but knew the council wouldn't allow it, not when Sasuke was being denied the same privilege.

"On top of the fact that every foreign shinobi who fought in the Third War will know _exactly_ whose son he is—Naruto will be forced to display his strength to a village that still fears him."

Kakashi choked for the second time that evening and ripped his gaze from studying various knicknacks to pin his hostess with a hard stare. "Meaning, Aioka-san?"

The woman didn't flinch under his gaze but prudently did not challenge him with her stare. He was slipping into his Hound persona.

"Uzumaki Naruto is the spitting image of his father when he drops his mask. I discovered his heritage within a week of knowing the boy, "her smile was wry, "he shares the same expression as the face in the mountain when he is truly serious."

"Does he know?" He demanded. Ice settling in his veins at the repercussions of Naruto's knowing. There were _reasons_ the boy had never been told. Naruto was loud and boastful and—Kakashi ignored the knowledge that such qualities were merely a Mask the boy donned. The ice chilling him had nothing to do with the ripping disappointment that Aioka was not as loyal to Konoha as he had thought.

The lie was hollow even in his mind.

"Yes. He figured it out year ago. I did not tell him, Hah—Hatake-san."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the stumble of his name—ignoring the flickering hope that she was not lying. It wasn't a nervous tick. It seemed closer to when someone changed the name they were about to say. He let it go in favour of a possible security leak.

"You started teaching him nearly five years ago. He did not know his heritage before that. You expect me to believe you didn't tell him?"

Copper eyes flashed with ire at the accusation but the woman remained placide in her seat. Making no threatening gestures or expression.

"I taught Naruto to think. To analyze people and their reactions. It was only a matter of time before he started to ask questions about his treatment. I _told_ him nothing."

There was no lie in her scent, expression, or voice. Naruto had never hinted at knowing or speaking of his lineage. There was no law concerning Naruto figuring things out on his own, nor were there laws saying one couldn't teach the boy how to find answers.

Kakashi eased into a casual slouch and closed his eye—allowing Hound to fade into his psych.

"Have I mentioned you're annoying, Aioka-san?" he muttered, tension seeping from his back.

Wood creaked, and fabric whispered as Aioka shifted from her previous state of stillness. "Once or twice. More Sake?"

Kakashi opened his eye and nudged his cup in her direction, abruptly changing topics. "Basically you feel the Exams will hinder their personal growth too much for the experience they would receive."

The woman prused her lips and tilted her chin in thought as she topped off his cup and poured herself another half. "In a nutshell, yes," she agreed, allowing the previous tension to be ignored.

Kakashi hmmed and allowed his gaze to drift to the kitchen window. "I see your points but I think you underestimate their mental fortitude. For Naruto, well, there are ways of hiding his heritage."

The boy was very handy with henge. It wouldn't be too difficult to order the boy to change up his appearance some so the resemblance to the Yellow-Flash was not immediately noticeable. Aioka's points about Sasuke bore more thought—Kakashi did not want to see the boy regress. Perhaps a psych evaluation wouldn't be a horrible thing, as long as it was discreet. Something to bring up with the Hokage.

Aioka nodded an acceptance of his word. "Thank you for letting me say my piece. Would you like this week's report, Kakashi-san?"

"Please."

Aioka finished off her drink as she stood. "Would you like any more before I put it up?" she asked motioning to the Sake bottle.

Kakashi declined and idly tracked the kunoichi's movements while he went over their conversation again.

Aioka did not think much of Sakura. She believed the girl to be weak willed and a hindrance to his team. She was concerned for Sasuke's mental state but cautiously optimistic about his improvement. She was proud of Naruto but not quite to the point of biasedness.

She was aware of Naruto's heritage and seemingly indifferent to the knowledge except for how it was potentially dangerous for Naruto.

She was exceptionally calm in the face of potential personal harm.

Kakashi was getting tired of the mystery that was Shojikina Aioka. Everytime he learned something concrete about her, something else drew his attention.

His mission to discover the relationship between Aioka and Naruto was done: it was established that Aioka had made herself the boy's mentor and nothing more. Naruto, however, saw her as a mother figure, though Aioka hadn't acknowledged that for some reason.

His mission to discover her relationship with the Nara's was much slower going. He had not seen her interact with any Nara's other than her father figure: Nara Shikoru.

Since he had taken on his mission, Aioka had been sequestered in the HQ preparing for the Chunin Exams. What little time she took for breaks were spent with either Naruto or Umino Iruka and Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo. The trio of chunin seemed determined to get the woman out of the HQ as often as they could.

He would need to make time to seek out Shikaku at some point. If the Jonin Commander wasn't aware of the woman's involvement in his clan then... Kakashi wouldn't know what to think.

Kakashi blinked out his thoughts as Aioka reentered the kitchen with a thin scroll.

"I'm making Tonkatsu and heating up left over miso soup if you would like to stay for dinner, Kakashi-san," the woman offered as he open the report to skim it.

Kakashi glanced up, mildly surprised by the invitation and extremely tempted. Those rice balls had been exceptional and it wasn't often that he got a home cooked meal. But he still needed to report to the Hokage. But _homemade_ food. Choices, choices.

"What time will it be done?" Perhaps if he was quick enough with his report it would be possible. He was already—his eye flickered to the clock on the wall near the living room—two hours late as it was, so he could hurry without being early.

Copper eyes flashed with amusement. "As long as you get here before nine, Kakashi-san, the food will be warm."

He almost pouted. "Mah, you are no fun, Aioka-san."

The laugh the woman gave was warm and full of easy humor. "A pleasure to frustrate you, Kakashi-san," she teased with a flourishing bow, seated though she was.

He chuckled and shook his head. "I'll see you in a while, Aioka-san."

With a hand-sign, he shunshined out and grinned into the early evening light when he heard her coughing from the amount of smoke he had left in his wake.

Cheerfully, he took to the rooftops. Perhaps he would pick up something for dessert. It was customary to bring something when one was invited to dinner, wasn't it?


	19. 018 Learning Shojikina Aioka pt3

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

 **A/N** : I haven't said this much, but you guys are wonderful. Your reviews are encouraging and bring me many smiles. I am doing my best to get into the habit of responding to those who ask questions but I haven't quite got the hang of it yet. I am trying and I'm not ignoring you!

I've posted something of a teaser for the next story I'll be working on once I finish this draft of A:CG. Head to my profile to check it out and let me know what you think!

Alrighty! this is the final part of the Learning Shojikina Aioka segment. I hope you've all enjoyed these chapters as much as I enjoyed writing them!

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"You really enjoy pushing limits don't you Kakashi-san?"

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck, an air of sheepishness about him. In the kitchen further in the house, the minute hand struck five till nine. "Ah, I got lost on the road of life, Aioka-san."

Aioka huffed and quirked an amused smile. "I just put everything back in the fridge. Come on in," she invited.

The Jonin dropped his hand and slipped between her and the opening. "I brought pocky," he offered a small box of the sweets with something like embarrassment in his bearing.

Aioka accepted the gift with a warm smile, surprised that he had brought anything. Hatake Kakashi was known for being stingy with his money and the lunch was not something she counted on as a regular habit. The poleaxed expressions on the jonin in _The Rusted Kunai_ that day had clued her in on the mind games the Copy-nin was playing and not to expect such chivalry to be the norm.

"Thank you, I'll get the food warmed up again. Would you like to eat in the kitchen or the living room? I was about to work on some mending when you knocked," she asked, stepping into the living room so the man had a bit more breathing room to change his shoes.

She had planned on doing the dishes while he ate to give him privacy if he had arrived at a more reasonable time, but mending would do just as well to keep her occupied without preventing her from holding a conversation if he wanted.

The man cocked his head so he could see her, his hitai-ate covered eye closest to her. There was a glimmer of curiosity in the dark eye and confusion that Aioka didn't understand.

"The livingroom is fine."

Aioka nodded then gestured to encompass the area, "Make yourself at home—I'll be out in a moment."

Leaving the jonin to himself, Aioka set about reheating left overs. Fortunately the food hadn't completely cooled, so it only took a few minutes for everything to warm through. In the living room, Aioka could sense the jonin perusing her book shelves and studying pictures and weapon caches. Every once in a while the jonin would take particular interest in an item. A photo of her and her academy friends after graduation, a book her tou-san had given her on her favorite Hokage—Senju Tobirama—and the pile of mending she had decided to finally do.

Placing everything on a tray, Aioka glanced at her tea selection. "I'm fixing myself some raspberry hibiscus tea, would you care for any Kakashi-san?" she inquired conversationally as she set about filling the kettle.

A pause. "Mah, perhaps chamomile?"

"Honey, sugar, cream?"

"Honey."

So he liked lighter flavored tea. Turning the stove on, Aioka left the kettle to boil and took the tray to the living room.

"Anything else you'd like, Kakashi-san?" She asked, leaving the tray on the coffee table and making her way to where mending was resting next to the love seat.

The jonin glanced at the tray and smiled behind his mask. "Chopsticks would help."

Aioka glanced at the tray in surprise then laughed. "Sorry, one sec."

A quick trip back to the kitchen recified that mistake. She was finally able to sit down once she made up their tea and plated a few piece of pocky for the two of them. She was pleasantly surprised to see that the man was taking his time in eating his meal. If he had wanted to, he could have scarfed it all down while she fixed their tea.

"Ah, I can't guarantee that I won't see your face from this angle, Kakashi-san," Aioka warned, eyeing his seat of choice. She had expected him to take the side of the couch furthest from her where she wouldn't accidentally see him without having to fully lifted her head from her work. As he chose to sit closest to her, she would see him out of the corner of her eye whether she wanted to or not.

"Your lack of curiosity is almost hurtful, Aioka-chan," he drawled but moved more toward the middle of the couch, just outside of her peripheral vision.

Aioka snorted as she pulled one of Naruto's shirts into her lap. It had a lovely tear under one arm. From the look of it, someone had grabbed a fist full of the material. Must've been that day the blond was whining about Sasuke pulling out his armpit hair a couple weeks ago.

"I don't need to see your face to get to know you. Now, if you somehow manage to become utterly emotionally unreadable, then I would need to rely on facial expressions to read you," she mused as she pinned a patch in place.

"So you're an empath?"

Aioka chuckled at the teasing inquiry. "Nope, I'm a mind reader."

The man snorted his amusement. "I was wrong: sarcasm does suit you, Aioka-san."

Aioka grinned down at her hands as she threaded a needle. "Life would be a bore without a little sarcasm, Kakashi-san. Besides, you're a pot calling a kettle black"

The startled laugh made her grin widen. The disbelieving amusement was so very clear in the sound that it made it that much more amusing to her.

"Touche," he admitted. Fabric rustled and chopsticks brushed a whisper over the plate as her guest picked something from the dish.

For a moment they sat in companionable silence. Aioka steadily making her way around the patch she was sewing, and Kakashi savouring his meal while lazily continuing his visual perusal of the living space he was resting in.

"The picture by the kitchen entryway. Are they friends of yours?"

Aioka caught herself before she looked up. She knew which picture he was referring to, she didn't actually need to see it.

"Hai, my tou-san and kaa-san. Nara Shikoru and Nara Ichika, formerly Akimichi. That was their wedding."

It had been a gorgeous day in May. The trees had been in blossom and the breeze had been playful but not disruptive. Well, except for a brief moment at the reception where it had lifted a few skirts. Aioka still hadn't decided if that had been an actual breeze or if one of the guest had been a fuuton user with a streak of mischief.

"But you don't have the Nara name?"

Aioka shrugged at the leading question. It was an obvious try for information but she had no reason to hide her answer.

"I wanted to prove to myself that I could become something all on my own," she answered, frowning at her work. She messed that stitch up. "At the time that tou-san and kaa-chan made the offer to adopt me, I had just decided I wanted to work my way up in the Genin Corp chain of command—such as it was at the time—and I didn't want anyone to accuse me of getting where I was going because of a clan backing me. I wanted to prove—to myself more than anyone else—that I could get what I wanted on my own merit. If they were to make the offer now, I would accept without hesitation."

Plastic and wood scrapped as Kakashi pushed the tray away and liquid swished quietly in his cup as he lifted it from the coffee table. Aioka tilted her eyes further toward her lap when the man settle into the couch and set his gaze on her.

"Tell me about the genin corp. I know they care for the bulk of the D-rank missions and any C-ranks within Hi no kuni."

Aioka smiled. She didn't really care about his reasons for asking, now that the Hokage knew of her she took delight in being able to talk about her corp with those who didn't already know of it.

"The genin corp was designed by the Nidaime. It started out as a means of easing children into missions and teaching them proper protocol and gradually became the village's janitorial division. After it was founded, and before it fell to what it was known as ten years ago, the Nidaime intended the genin corp to be a quiet way to watch over the most vulnerable village resource. The civilians.

"The career genin has the most day to day interaction with Konoha's people. We are the ones who see and learn the faces of those who support our basic needs. We see who provide our food and know their names and habits. We see when their personalities change as a foreigner assumes their identity in an effort to infiltrate our home. The career genin were meant to be the police force but the Nidaime shelved the project in his desire to monitor the Uchiha, so he allowed them to take up that role instead of the genin corp. It was after the Nidaime's death that the corp fell into a stagnant pit for cast off graduates, a place where children who needed more attention than their more talent peers than could be spared. It became a dead end job that nobody wanted, but many had to settle for until someone with enough drive pulled it out of the slime pit it was."

Aioka paused a moment to pick up a second garment to to start mending. The shirt was one of hers and didn't have much life left to it. Meh, one more patch then it would get tossed.

"On top of handling D-ranks, we officially take any C-ranks that operate within the borders of Hi no Kuni, and run messages for shinobi of all ranks. Unofficially we are civilian law enforcement, street sweepers, and a lost and found bank."

"Lost and found bank?" Kakashi cut it curiously, followed by a soft crunch. Seemed he was enjoying his own treat.

Aioka shifted to tuck a foot under herself and readjusted her work. "Yes. The corp picks up trash and random items from around the various civilian districts. Lost jewelry, toys, documents, clothes, and knick knacks are sorted at the HQ. Civilians have learned to stop by the HQ if they have lost anything. If an item isn't claimed by the end of the month we do a yard sale kind of thing. All proceeds are folded into the corp fund."

"And people don't fuss over you selling their property?"

Aioka shrugged. "When we first started the program we made exceptions, but now that they know what we do we don't give leeway unless they have certified proof an item is theirs. In the case of jewelry they need receipts. None of the jewelry is allowed to be seen before the sale. If a person can describe the piece in detail without seeing it, we will accept that as proof. If they claim an item is theirs at the sale—unless they have documented proof—they are required to purchase the item. For the most part, the practice is accepted. Every once in a while one of the wealthier civilians will attempt to strong arm the corp but," Aioka allowed a sharp grin to cross her face, "we know our wards far better than they know us and we aren't above blackmail to keep them in line."

Kakashi hummed and shifted, glass clinked against wood and Aioka finally glance up.

"Would you like some more, Kakashi-san?" she asked as she picked up her own tea, which had been ignored till now. It was cold but the nice thing about red hibiscus tea, was that it had great flavor at any temperature.

It was getting late but she was enjoying the man's company. It was different than Iruka's, or even Izumo's and Kotetsu's, but still pleasant.

Kakashi declined but didn't seem ready to move, an observation that proved correct upon his next question. "How did you end up in the genin corp in the first place? Your Academy records are impressive for the handicap you had."

Aioka shrugged. "How does anyone end up in the corp? I failed my jonin-test."

"That shouldn't have prevented you from applying for an apprenticeship," the jonin pointed out.

"I didn't know that at the time and my tou-san was not in the village to advise me, Kakashi-san," Aioka explained. "I was also deeply indebted to Konoha's coffers. I owed them for everything I had from the moment I stepped foot into the Immigration Office when I was twelve. I was barely educated and didn't know how to do anything but be a kunoichi. I had a panic attack in the middle of the market over what Konoha would have done to me if I couldn't pay. I envisioned everything from death to slavery." Aioka smirked at the startled sound her audience of one made. "I was originally from Iwa, Kakashi-san, I didn't know any better," she explained with vague amusement.

Kakashi stretched his legs out and draped an arm across the back of her couch. The sprawling posture was oddly pleasing. "Why did you decide to come to Konoha? Iwa isn't known for positive views of our village."

Aioka briefly examined the place beneath the man's arm, wondering how comfortable it would be to sit there. It was a thought she had had anytime she had seen her other male friends sit like that. Her kaa-san always loved to sit with Shikoru whenever he sat like that.

Pushing the random thought away, Aioka turned her attention back to her masked guest. "I first heard about Konoha when I ventured into Kusa. I was gathering food when I overheard a couple men—nuke-nin I later learned—talking about a 'treehugger' village and how coddled their civilians were. I don't know how they had started on the topic but my curiosity overrode any common sense I had and I had asked them what they were talking about." Aioka smiled ruefully at the disbelief on Kakashi's face, "Yeah, I get that feeling everytime I recall that memory." She shrugged. "It worked out though—they were far more amused by my bold ignorance than annoyed so humored my questions. A few inquiries to other street children and I had confirmation of Konoha's treatment of civilians. I didn't find out until I was in Hi no Kuni that Konoha was actually a shinobi village."

A yawn took Aioka by surprise and she quickly covered her mouth then swiped at the water gathered in her eyes. "Ugh, sorry."

Kakashi made a dismissive gesture and glanced toward the clock on the coffee table. "Don't worry about it. It's late. Thank you for dinner, Aioka-san. It was delicious."

Aioka set her cup down and stood as the jonin hauled himself from his comfortable sprawl. "I'm glad. Let me take the dishes to the kitchen then I'll see you out."

When she returned from her brief errand, Kakashi had switched his house shoes for his sandals.

"Well, have a good night Kakashi-san," Aioka bid, feeling slightly awkward with the way the jonin was looking at her.

The man slouched, his hands resting loosely in his pockets, and his lone eye half lidded as he gazed at her. There was something like curiosity but also like a challenge in his gaze. It was unsettling.

"Team 7 could use sparring partners. Would your team be interested in a rematch?"

Aioka blinked. Team 7 sparred with her team and Doza's team a couple time a week already. It was in her reports.

"That won't be a problem," she settled with.

"Arigato, tomorrow?"

"I won't be able to attend but my team will be able to," Aioka agreed, making a mental note to tell her students.

"Ah, I was hoping to spar with them. It's not often we spar as a full team," Kakashi rebutted. "When would you be able to attend?"

' _O-kay,'_ Aioka thought, bewildered. "Ano, two days from now. I've already scheduled three hours to work with my team in the morning. It won't be an issue adding your team in."

The jonin beamed. "Perfect. What time?"

"We won't wait for you," Aioka warned," but we begin at seven in the training ground atop the Hokage monument."

"Mah, so mean Aioka-san. Let a jonin have his vices," Kakashi pouted.

Aioka snorted and rolled her eyes with a fond smile before making a shooing motion with her hands. "Go, shoo, I need sleep."

The man chuckled and straightened from his slouch. "Ja ne, Aioka-san."

Aioka coughed and waved a hand in front of her face as smoke enveloped her and her entryway.

"The door was right there," she muttered crossly. Opening said door and stepping into the night to breath some clean air. Stupid jonin.

* * *

Morning came far sooner than Aioka wished and her drowsy fumbling resulted in a stubbed pinky toe, a broken cup, and her brush almost hopelessly tangled in her hair.

When she arrived at the HQ, her Lieutenants and the two teams set for the Chunin Exams were stretching out and waiting on her as usual.

"Sou-soutachio?" someone asked, stuttering in an effort not to laugh.

Aioka flopped gracelessly on the ground of the training hall and gave the group a tired glare. All of them were biting back snickers that warred with concern. "Ai-chan, help please," she sighed, motioning to the brush still stuck in her hair. She had given up on trying to get it out after three minutes and was resigned to being laughed at. Hopefully this incident wouldn't get back to Izumo and Kotetsu but she wasn't holding her breath.

Huro Ai chuckled as she approached. "Good morning, Soutachio. Not your morning so far?" she asked, kneeling beside the older woman to examine the tangled mess.

Aioka huffed, crossed her legs, and propped her head on her hand, her elbow resting on a knee. "Stayed up too," she yawned widely, "ugh, too late." She wiped tears from her eyes and motioned blindly at the others. "Sit, someone start."

The gathered genin exchanged amused glances and sat around so they could watch their Commander struggle to stay awake.

"I don't have much to report," Makorashi Nyuki began, lips twitching when sleepy copper eyes looked in his vague direction, "I will be meeting with a couple of teachers today to discuss the latest remedy tests taken, but other than that, business as usual."

"Good. We should probably think about changing up the tests soon. When was the last time they were updated?" Aioka asked, twitching slightly as a couple lone hairs tugged unpleasantly at her scalp.

The Lieutenant of Education leaned back on his hands and glanced toward the ceiling briefly in thought. "Last year, maybe a couple months more than that. I can look it up later," he answered.

Aioka hummed an acknowledgement then caught the gaze of her Financial Lieutenant. "Mei-san?"

The petite blonde smiled. "I need to speak with Doza this afternoon, if anything comes of that I'll mention it in the morning. Otherwise, nothing to report."

Aioka nodded and called on the others one by one. For the most part, there was nothing of concern. She had four genin she needed to call up to her office for a couple unpleasant conversations for misconduct but otherwise nothing that needed her immediate attention.

Daidoshi Saito, her Runner Lieutenant, reported that there were rumors of Suna sending their Jinchuuriki as one of the chunin hopefuls. Their unstable Jinchuuriki, who was prone to kill without warning.

"We will have to leave that to Anbu," she said, accepting the brush Ai finally freed from her exceptionally long hair. "Spread word that genin are not to engage if the Jinchuuriki attacks, just evacuate Konoha civilians and those visiting. Priority goes to Konoha's citizens."

"Hai, soutachio," they chorused. Grimly understanding that they were to save one life over another if they had to choose between a foreigner and one of their own.

Aioka quickly twisted her hair in a tight braid that ran from the top of her head to her waist after brushing that black strands out. Tying the braid off Aioka glanced at her Lieutenants as she flicked her hair over her should. "Right. Whose turn to spar with me?"

 **A:CG**


	20. 019 Sparring, Learning, Teaching

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by _Vixen Tail's_ story Deja vu No Jutsu and _Hermionechan90's_ Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

 **A/N** : This chapter fought me, and fought me, and fought me! I started this chapter back when I started posting again, after taking a break to get those ten chapters written up, and only finished it maybe two weeks ago.

This is my first attempt at writing a fight scene so feedback is very welcome!

P.S. I fixed the misspelling of 'Jinchuuriki' in the last chapter. Thanks to those who pointed that out =D

* * *

Sparring was an important facet of shinobi life. It was tool to keep in shape, learn how new techniques stood up in combat, and a means of socializing. It built familiarity and trust between team mates and offered a quiet way for strangers to get to know each other.

Aioka swore that every time she clashed with another during a spar, she saw into their soul. Maybe it was the way eyes always met and eyes were windows into the soul. Or maybe it was the battle of wills that occurred as opponents struggled to overcome the determination of the other. Whatever it was, Aioka thrived on it.

* * *

The spar had started tame enough. Her team went after those who were weaker in their area of expertise. Deidre went after Sakura, who was weak in taijutsu. Noki was the genjutsu expert between the four of them, and clashed with Naruto. Kei favoured ninjutsu but started with weapons because Sasuke was not as fluent with his physical tools as he was with his ninjutsu. Aioka took the jonin because she had the best chance against him.

Kakashi took a few minutes to get a feel for her before abruptly calling out to his team. The following minutes were a blur of _react._ There was no time for thought. Team 7 did not have years of experienced team work, but their sensei made that flaw negligible as he moved seamlessly into his genin's established formations and strategies.

Aioka hissed as a kunai parted skin and muscle at the bend in her elbow, and allowed a kawarimi to pull her away from the jonin and into the face of an irritated Uchiha. Sharnigan bright eyes widened as Aioka stepped into his guard and drove the hilt of her kunai into the boys' abdomen in a way that—if the blade had been in place of the hilt—the kunai would have pierced his heart.

Folding over the falling boy, Aioka rolled out of the way of a leaping dog.

 _When did he have time to summon?!_ She thought, desperately kawariming away from snapping jaws and to assist Noki in taking down Naruto and Sakura. Kei and Deidre were tag teaming Kakashi.

Aioka saw Deidre go down and impulsively grabbed onto Kakashi with her chakra for a forced kawarimi. The jutsu didn't take, but it was enough of a distraction that the jonin took a hit from Kei.

The effort of the botched kawarimi made Aioka's head spin. It had been a long time since she had made the mistake of switching with someone unwilling.

Aioka dropped low, avoiding a slashing kunai. Ignoring the visual distortion still affecting her, Aioka relied on her chakra sense and lashed out with a electrically charged hand to clip Kakashi's knee just as something small and fast rocketed into her back. A surge of chakra sent electricity racing across her body, snapping and hissing over her skin, causing her small attacker to yip in pain and leap away from her.

A flick of her wrist gained her room to get her feet under her but alerted her that she was nearly out of kunai. Distance wasn't helping her. Time to get in close.

Kakashi's eye was intense as he engaged her in taijutsu and Aioka felt a thrill of accomplishment when she saw the sweat dripping down his temple and darkening the cloth covering his throat and underarms.

Time lost meaning but she didn't lose awareness of her teammates or the dogs that flashed in and out of the spar. Deidre, Sakura, and Sasuke were out—being tended by Murai Hinode, a Handyman/Scout who dabbled in iryo-jutsu. Noki and Kei were doing their best to deal with Naruto and offer her assistance from time to time.

Abruptly, Aioka disengaged from Kakashi to get between Kei and a large ninken dog. The creatures massive jaws nearly closed over her face as Aioka slammed a hand to the ground and a fragile wall of earth rose up between the two. As the dog crashed nose first into the wall: Kei disabled Naruto, another dog took out Kei, Kakashi took out Noki with a light brush of his fingers against the Genjutsu users throat, and Aioka spun to throw her last kunai.

The kunai was batted aside and Aioka was dodging three dogs and a jonin. Sweat stung her eyes, her breath rasped from her chest, and her lips were pulled back in a wild grin. She was going to lose.

It had been some time since she lost a one on one fight. Her father and her lieutenants were the only ones to offer her a challenge, and even then wins and losses were pretty even due to sheer familiarity with each others styles.

She had been sparring her father since her Academy days, and she was the one to get her Lieutenants to their current level of proficiency. It was rare for any of them to pull something that surprised her.

Sparring Kakashi was thrilling in a way Aioka rarely got to experience. This was probably the closest she had come to true combat in over a year. She was barely managing to escape fatal blows and she knew it was only a matter of time before the Jonin upped the ante to a degree she couldn't meet. Best to end it while she was ahead. With a feral grin to the Jonin's face, Aioka shucked chakra to her feet, bastardizing the tree walking exercise, and allowing the blast to throw her into the air—spraying Kakashi with shattered earth. Flying through eight hand signs, Aioka breathed out the name of her strongest raiton jutsu at the climax of her flight.

" _Raiton: henso sutorando_."

Lightning flashed. Blue, yellow, and white bolts of electricity surged from her hands, twisting and braiding into each other, searing the very air as they struck out at its target.

The percussion of the resulting explosion of sound left many observers gasping for breath. Aioka landed awkwardly, not used to using that jutsu in the air, and barely had time to twist away from a water bullet. The dodge was just as awkward as her landing and Aioka found herself pressed against a tree nose to nose with a slightly wide eyed jonin and a hand resting firmly at her throat and a kunai hilt in her ribs. Her own hand rested against the ribs below the arm raised to choke her, pulsing with restrained electricity.

"Well fought, Aioka-san."

Aioka let out a breathless laugh at the rumbled praise, giddy from adrenaline and hyper-aware of the man's control. It would have been very easy for him to have crushed her throat when he had slammed her into the tree, but his touch was light. Aioka doubted she could have avoided bruising someone if she had done the same.

The jonin's eye crinkled and his mask shifted with a small smirk as he slowly moved away from Aioka's still humming hand. "You are full of surprises, Aioka-san."

Aioka pushed off the trunk with her back, brushing her fingers against her pants to be rid of the after tingles restraining lightning left behind.

"Thank you, Kakashi-san. Peace?" she inquired with a smile, offering her no longer sparking hand in reconciliation.

Kakashi clasped her fingers with his, an amused glint in his eye. "I wasn't aware we were at war."

Aioka huffed in good humor, her head tilting to watch their teams talking animatedly with the gathered career genin. The genin talking and listening, learning and being taught. This had been a good morning and it wasn't even nine yet.

"Mmm, a war of wills maybe, but a war nonetheless," she answered, glancing around to take in the damage done to the training ground and missing the curiosity in her companion's gaze before he too began looking around.

Overall, the training ground wasn't in bad shape. There were a few mud puddles and scorch marks from Noki and Sasuke, as well as gouges from Aioka's own doton usage and, of course, the crater left by her raiton.

A crater that Kakashi was examining. The man was facing the hole, leaving her unable to see his face. She wondered what he thought of it.

The jutsu had taken her the better part of two years to create.

Raiton was one of the hardest elements to harness next to fuuton. It was more wild than fire, slipperier than water, more unforgiving than earth, and faster than wind. It took the path of least resistance and rebelled against direction. Raiton was difficult to used at long distances with any sort of accuracy because the very nature of lightning was attracted to the ground, and it would sooner strike a random blade of grass at your feet than weave through the air to strike a less attractive target.

By manipulate three different kinds of lightning, Aioka had managed to minimize Raitons natural desire to ground and was able to lock on a target. It didn't always strike her intended target but the resulting explosion could cause some serious damage to anyone close to the blast range. The percussion alone could cause serious internal damage.

Jutsu creation was not common in the genin corp but jutsu _adaptation_ was. The genin section of Konoha's library was not large and extremely limited. Barely a handful of jutsu from each element were available, and the instructions for those jutsu were not always clear. Genjutsu theory was extensive but, again, actual instruction was limited.

More than one genin had taken the instructions for a jutsu described in the library and twisted it until it worked for them, often resulting in something vastly different than the intended jutsu but very much functional.

Part of the mandatory skills was that a genin must master at least one E-rank elemental jutsu of their choice. Fire Flicker—a jutsu that produced a simple flame at the end of a finger—was the most commonly mastered since Fire was the most common element for a shinobi born in Hi no Kuni to have. Many variations had stemmed from that one jutsu. Aioka had seen genin produce a flame at the end of each finger and use the jutsu to leave burning claw marks on an opponent. Others had managed to make the flame so hot at the tip of their finger they could carve metal engravings.

A handful of Trainers had managed to create an original jutsu of their own, but they were few as creation was much more difficult and required a level of effort adaptation lacked.

"Soutachio?"

"Hmm?" Aioka blinked out of her thoughts and gave her attention to one of her Trainer/Scouts. Sachiro Akio son of Sachiro Komachi, a grocer for a fruit vendor.

"May we listen in on your debrief?" The young man asked, glancing hopefully in Kakashi's direction.

Aioka huffed lightly in amusement. There wasn't likely to be another time that these genin would have the opportunity to have such easy access to a Jonin of Kakashi's calibre and they were eager to make the most of it.

"Sure. I'll asked Hatake-san if he would answer some questions."

The genin grinned and trotted back to tell the others the news. Aioka rolled her eyes in good humor and walked up to where Kakashi was still examining the crater.

"If you stay and answer some questions for my team and the other genin, I'll teach you my jutsu if you haven't already figured it out, Kakashi-san."

Kakashi tilted his head to bring her out of his peripheral and into his line of sight. An odd expression on his face. "Your jutsu?"

Aioka couldn't decide if he was impressed, incredulous, or conflicted. Possibly all three. Though she didn't understand the confliction.

"Hai. Ready for the debrief?" she asked, happily ignoring his attempt at getting her to explain before meeting her requirement.

The man glanced at the gathering of genin—which may have gotten larger at some point—and grimaced. "You're mean, Aioka-san."

Aioka laughed. "Come on, they won't bite," she promised.

The debrief lasted a good deal longer than Aioka had intended but Kakashi didn't seem to mind. He answered questions ranging from how one could get a summoning contract to how he stored his weapons. The Jonin even gave a couple demonstrations on techniques he had used. It was far more than Aioka had expected when she had made her offer to teach him _Raiton: henso sutorando_.

By the time she dismissed everyone, it was nearing noon. She did not regret the things that were learned today but she mentally cringed at the catching up she would have to do. There were several meetings she needed to hold today. She was going to take the next couple days off to give her Lieutenants a chance to get used to her not being there—with the option of getting to her if they really needed to—before the Exam started on the first.

Five more days. Five more days and two of her genin teams would lay the foundation that would make or break the future of the Genin Corp's participation in further Chunin Exams.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll be available at any time until the Exam starts," Aioka said, catching Kakashi's attention from watching a group of career genin fixing the training ground. "Feel free to find me if you want to cash in on my offer."

She rather hoped he would take her up on the offer. She would have a hard time staying away from the corp during the next couple of days. While her kaa-san would appreciate seeing her for more than a evening, Aioka didn't relish the idea of going stir crazy. Maybe she should find Iruka for a spar. They hadn't made time to train together yet. She'd extend the invitation to Izumo and Kotetsu too.

"Not today?"

Aioka blinked back into focus at the inquiry. "Sorry? Oh, no," she answered when her brain caught up with her. "I have a lot of paperwork and last minute instructions to give. I'll be impressed if I get home before ten tonight."

She had been pushing aside some financial reviews in favor of less tedious work. She loathed money math. Absolutely hated it. It never failed to bring her to tears but she had to look it over and be a responsible leader. Yes, she trusted her Lieutenants, but accountability was a must whenever money was involved.

She had learned that from before coming to Konoha. Money was a temptation that few people could resist in the long term and she did not want to set anyone up for failure.

"Are you okay?"

Aioka blinked at the concern in her companions voice. A glance showed that Kakashi was gazing at her with a narrow eye. Was his nose twitching?

"Yes?" the answer came out a question. Did she miss more than one question? She didn't think she was that out of it.

"You've been foggy since we stopped sparring. Where are you injured?" Kakashi demanded, his eye scanning her more closely.

Aioka twitched toward her left arm and glanced down at it accusingly when it twanged in discomfort. "It's just a scratch."

Kakashi's brow crept to his hitai-ate when he caught sight of her left arm. Her entire elbow area, plus a good portion of her sleeve, was stiff with dried blood. He was surprised he hadn't noticed the scent of blood in the air until now. "A scratch. Right. And I'm a genin," he deadpanned.

Aioka grimaced. She was a little woozy. Great. Now she definitely would be behind on her work.

"I don't suppose you know any iryo-jutsu?" she asked hopefully. She didn't feel like trekking to the hospital and none of her genin were quite advanced enough to deal with something this deep. Plus hospitals were high chakra zones and very uncomfortable on her senses.

Kakashi shook his head as he pulled out a roll of bandages he kept on him. "No. Let me see."

Aioka huffed and eyed the long sleeve of her shirt. She needed to dampen it so she could roll it back without tearing the clotting. "Just wrap it as is. It's not bleeding at the moment so I can make it to the HQ."

"Why didn't you take care of this earlier?" He asked, examining the gash to determine the best way to wrap it. He didn't want to restrict her arm movement if at all possible.

Aioka lifted her right shoulder in a shrug. "I honestly forgot about it. I was more interested in listening to you. It's not often that I'm the one being taught rather than the one teaching."

Kakashi hmmed and deftly wrapped the wound. He should probably order her to go to the hospital; the wound wasn't deep, per se, but it definitely warranted stitches.

Tucking the ends back into the wrap, Kakashi deemed the bandage sufficient as he stepped away from the fatigued woman. It was probably a good thing the woman had the next couple days off. "I'll find you soon, then," he stated.

Aioka mentally shook herself from the pleasant not-quite-doze she had fallen into while the Jonin worked. Maybe she should take a nap before trying to work with numbers. Yeah, a nap sounded good.

"Sounds good," she said, absently flickering a response to the genin who had volunteered to clean up the training field. "Do you want to collect your kunai? They're done cleaning up."

Kakashi was looking at her oddly again. There was a strange intensity in his eye as he looked between her and the retreating genin. It vaguely made her feel like prey. Was he suspicious of her?

"That wasn't Konoha Standard."

' _Ah.'_ She thought. ' _The hand signs.'_ Aioka allowed her internal alertness to fade back to casual as she smiled and started toward the pile of weapons the genin had left by the edge of the field. "It's not. I and the corp formed our own signs so we could talk without the civilians being aware. You'd be surprised at how many civilians know Konoha Standard, even if they can't sign it themselves."

"What."

Aioka knelt next to the pile of her weapons and glanced curiously at Kakashi. "What, what?"

"Civilians know sign?" the man's doubt was obvious.

"Well, yeah. It's not like jonin hide what they're teaching their genin while on D-ranks. Civilians have ears and brains as much as shinobi. It's kind of hard for them not to pick up on it when it's being taught repeatedly in front of them."

The jonin looked genuinely disturbed by that as he restocked his kunai pouch and sheathed a couple specialty kunai. The kuani were on the smaller side and fit perfectly beneath the collar of his jonin vest and at his ankle. Now that she knew they were there, they were still hard to notice.

"Have the civilians picked up on the Corp's signs?" Kakashi asked after a moment.

Aioka wiggled her hand. "So-so. Not as much as Konoha Standard. Mostly little things like 'yes' or 'no'. The Corp sign is subtle and requires eye contact to be read properly. For instance if I wrinkle my nose while looking at you, it means 'now' where as if I'm not looking at you it probably means my nose itches or something." Aioka shrugged at the dubious look she got. "It's subtle and takes a year of consistent practice to learn. Recruits are required to take daily lessons for their first year. Every once in a while squads will go an entire day communicating via sign just 'cause."

Aioka herself had very little involvement in the development of the Corp Sign. That honor went to a kunoichi by the name of Uwasa Aete. Aete wasn't part of Aioka's Lieutenants but she was a prominent teacher in the Education division. The kunoichi was nearing thirty; Aioka should probably ask Nyuki to set something up to acknowledge the woman's service and discretely suggest the woman take on an apprentice.

Shaking her head, Aioka sighed heavily and stood up. "I really need to get going Kakashi-san. Is there anything you need before I go?"

The man still seemed to be having trouble wrapping his head around the fact that civilians knew shinobi sign. It hadn't escaped Aioka's notice that shinobi were prejudice toward their none chakra using counter parts to varying degrees. Some didn't even realize they had said prejudice but it showed up whenever civilians proved they had brains. It was both amusing and highly irritating to Aioka.

Kakashi seemed to mentally shelve his thoughts as he followed her example and got to his feet. "No. I'll see you around."

Aioka had a moment to catch sight of the mischief in his eye before she was abruptly enveloped in smoke. Her amused cry of indignation went unanswered.

 **A:CG**


	21. 020 Jonin and the First Stage

Disclaimer: Naruto and it's characters aren't mine. This story has been inspired by Vixen Tail's story Deja vu No Jutsu and Hermionechan90's Inoue Shiori. Both authors have given me permission to use ideas and themes from their stories.

A/N: Um...hi?

I apologize for going AWOL. I had thought I'd be able to finish this chapter in the week after I posted the last one but...well, that didn't happen. I can't promise the next chapter won't take just as long, as I'm back to posting as I finish each chapter and we are preparing to move on to the next job.

I will try to post bi-weekly (I really, really doubt I'll be able to do weekly) but don't be surprised if it takes longer than that.

The Chunin Exams begin!

A/N 12/18: Just corrected the times the First Exams starts and fixed a mangled sentence, nothing changed scene wise. I'm currently re-reading the chunnin exams to refresh my memory, so bare with me. Hopefully will have next chapter out by the 19th.

A/N 9/19: Changes made to the scene from Ibiki's POV to match chapter 21.

A/N 9/19 pt2: Delted Ibiki POV and moved it to Chapter 21.

* * *

When Aioka had decided to take the week before the Chunin Exams off from her duties to the Corp, she had never imagined how hard it would be to stay away and not worry about whether or not her Lieutenants were taking care of everything.

The first day was nice. She spent the whole day with her kaa-san and imoto—cooking, laughing, and catching up on house projects she had neglected and her Kaa-san insisted on helping with. At the end of the day, her father had joined them for dinner along with Naruto and his teammates.

That fiasco had been fun. Sasuke and Sakura's expression when Mikimaru squealed out 'Naru-nii!' and bodily attached herself to Naruto had been hilarious.

Days two through four had been excruciating. Her chunin friends had been unavailable to meet up like she had hoped and Kakashi didn't make an appearance. She had spent her days meandering the market place and people watching. While people watching was interesting—especially with so many foreigners—it was also maddening.

Why, oh why, hadn't she thought about giving the civilians some general safety guidelines to follow with so many strangers in village?

Yes, she was confident that her corp could protect them from physical stupidity but was it really necessary for some of them to give out so much personal information?!

There were so many foreign shinobi walking around unsupervised it was making her skin crawl. She really hoped the Hokage knew what he was doing by allowing them to wander unmarked.

In an attempt to keep herself occupied—and not throttle the next shinobi chatting up a civilian for village information—Aioka set about writing out ideas on how to prepare civilians for such an event in the future. As she put the finishing touches on a syllabus for civilian safety classes at the end of day three, Aioka wondered if she might have issues. It probably wasn't normal for someone to find comfort in writing manuscripts, instructional texts, or class materials. She had already written several scripts for the corp as its commander. She had even written as complete of a history of the Genin Corp as she could. She was toying with the idea of actually getting it published one day.

Having so many days off led her to the realization that she had no hobbies that did not correlate with being a shinobi somehow. While that wasn't exactly a bad thing for a shinobi, was it a good thing for a person? That philosophical question ran around in her head for most of a day before she decided it didn't matter. She was a shinobi and she was happy how she was.

The morning of the Exams came with a feeling of relief. She greatly disliked having so many days off.

* * *

Aioka exhaled slowly as she gazed at the Hokage Tower and did her best to let go of her nerves. She had done everything she could. Her six genin were as prepared as she knew how to make them and all that was left was to see if it was enough. Her job, now, was to trust in her students and their skill.

Spreading out her senses for a moment, Aioka took note of who was around, and made her way to the room she had been informed to wait in with the other Konoha jonin-sensei.

The message had been delivered to her two days ago by Runners stationed at the Mission Desk in the Hokage Tower. The Runners had informed her that multiple rooms had been set up with for the jonin-sensei to wait for results of the First Exams.

Upon entering the room, Aioka found herself in the company of three jonin. The men were in their mid to late twenties and from shinobi families. Two were armed to the gills with small weaponry, while the third was deceptively unarmed. Aioka suspected the third was a strong ninjutsu user if the potency of his chakra was anything to go by.

Nodding respectfully, Aioka made her way to the coffee machines while taking in other room was well lit and painted in soothing neutral colors of browns and creams. The furniture was placed strategically so its occupant could see the door and most of the windows. The coffee bar was situated in the center of the room where everyone could see it at all times—no one wanted another tampering with the food or drinks.

Taking her cup of coffee and a muffin, Aioka settled unobtrusively in what she deemed as the least desirable section of the room. A single chair at the front of the room in the corner had limited field of vision and was fairly hard to maneuver from if a fight broke out.

It was unlikely anyone would challenge her for her spot and if trouble did happen, she was confident in her ability to kawarmi to a more suitable location.

Aioka settled herself in her chair and began playing Face-Name-Signature as jonin-sensei gradually arrived. She knew each signature and where they lived or spent most of their time, but only had faces for half of them and a name for three of the fourteen jonin that were in the room.

A startling few jonin seemed to notice her and those that did mostly dismissed her. Or so it seemed. She really didn't want to believe that they could so easily ignore an unknown.

It was nearly five and she had been her since three, surely someone should've questioned her by now.

"Hiding, Aioka-san?"

Aioka was hard pressed not to flinch at the casual drawl and the abrupt appearance of a signature much, much closer than it had been seconds ago.

Copper eyes fixed on the jonin, leaning nonchalantly at her side, with muted admiration and a good deal of respect. Not a moment before, Kakashi had been three floors down with Team 7. Between one heart beat and the next the man had used two shunshin—smokeless, sealless shunshin with a suppressed signature—and appeared at her side without warning; reading as if he had been there all along. Here was the control and skill she expected from Konoha's Elite.

"Observing, Hatake-san," Aioka replied. Amusement and disquiet warring as half the jonin in the room flinched at her voice in some manner. Though, she silently admitted to herself that it was gratifying to know she could fade from an average jonin's awareness without relaxing her signature.

The Copy nin glanced down at her with a lifted brow at her lapse into formality. "Call me Kakashi, Aioka-san."

Aioka flashed a brief smile while she took in the way the jonin relaxed at hearing Kakashi's overture. She had known that Kakashi was well known and respected, but it spoke well of him that his peers trusted his word, especially since jonin were a paranoid bunch.

"Who do we have here?"

Aioka's amusement spiked when three other jonin joined them. The way the two shinobi—one Maito Gai and a Sarutobi clansman—placed themselves before her was a subtle intimidation tactic often used to test a strange shinobi's defense triggers by making them feel claustrophobic. The third, a lovely red eyed kunoichi, paused slightly behind the bearded Sarutobi.

"Why, Ausma, do you need uniform remedial training?" Kakashi inquired innocently, his nose once again buried in his book.

The bearded jonin gave her masked companion the look that comment deserved. Career Genin had pretty consistent uniforms, unlike the regular forces who could wear anything they liked. Career genin had to wear their tan vests at all times while on duty. Their pants and shirts could be any style so long as they were muted grey, brown, blue, green, or black.

Personally, Aioka favored blacks, greys, and browns with conservative styles. Her style made her easy to overlook by shinobi and more approachable to civilians.

Chuckling at the way Kakashi was baiting his comrades, Aioka got to her feet—acutely aware of the lack of space the four jonin were allowing her—and bowed politely. "Shojikina Aioka: Career Genin, jonin-san's."

"Yosh! Your Youth is astounding, Shojikina-san! To stand so coolly with us is Youthful!" the green spandex wearing jonin hollered, flashing a blinding grin and striking a pose involving a thumbs up and a puffed up chest.

Aioka grinned at the enthusiastic man, shoving her discomfort of his choice of attire to the back of her mind. The green monstrosity left little to the imagination and she wasn't thrilled about it. "Thank you, Jonin-san."

Maito Gai was known to the Career Genin. The jonin always had an encouraging word for them and was brimming with life as he went about his day in the village. The Corp had to calm more than one disturbed civilian whenever he chose to grace the civilian district but they all found him entertaining.

"Will you introduce us, Kakashi?" the kunoichi jonin spoke up, a kind smile on her painted lips as Gai and Asuma stepped back to give Aioka a little more breathing room.

Kakashi motioned to each jonin as he named them, eye never leaving his book. "Maito Gai, Sarutobi Asuma, and Yuhi Kurenai; taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu specialists respectively,"

Aioka bowed again and glanced at the kunoichi with a small smile as she took in the woman's welcoming posture. "A pleasure."

"What brings you here, Shojikina-san?" Asuma inquired. "I don't see Career Genin by themselves much any more."

Aioka rested most of her weight on one leg and relaxed. Sarutobi Asuma was not well known to her. She knew he was the Hokage's last living son, and had served the Daimyo for a number of years. She had heard he was one of the few Fuuton users in Hi no Kuni, specialized in protection or bodyguard missions, and he smoked. Seeing him now, Aioka could say the man was solid, unflappable, and incredible observant. She doubt the man missed much even if he chose to ignore what he saw.

Not many had paid attention to the Corp and it was interesting that the Sarutobi clansman had remarked on that detail at all.

"I'm representing two teams from the Genin Corp, Sarutobi-san." Aioka smiled at the trio and at their various looks of curiosity. "If all goes well, the Corps participation will be a regular occurrence."

"Huh," Asuma huffed, and looked from her to Kakashi—who was happily ignoring them in favor of his book—before shaking his head and motioning toward the couches he and his companions had been at before Kakashi had arrived. "Come join us, the couches are more comfortable than the chair or wall."

Aioka's lips quirked at the invitation and picked up her empty coffee cup. "Let me grab a refill," she agreed and glanced at Kakashi. An offer slipping from her lips before thinking of the stupidity of it. "Would you like me to get you anything, Kakashi-san?"

"Coffee, please," he answered carelessly, glancing at her as he pushed off the wall and made his way to the couches. "Two spoons of sugar, easy on the milk."

Aioka would have laughed at the open startlement on the faces of the jonin around her if she wasn't struggling to hide her own shock. Jonin of Kakashi's calibre didn't accept food or drink from anyone they didn't trust implicitly. There was a difference in the man accepting food and drink in the privacy of her home and office—where he could easily track her actions—and accepting it in front of his peers where he would lose sight of her. His acceptance of her offer was a louder advocation of her than his taking her to the Rusty Kunai had been. In fact, Aioka doubt him screaming it from the top of the Hokage Tower could get it across nearly as well.

Pushing her emotions aside, she turned to the coffee bar that suddenly felt much further away than it actually was.

She was used to being watched: by civilians, by her subordinates. But she hadn't anticipated the weight the eyes of a dozen plus jonin could feel like. Eyes that saw everything she didn't do. It took a very conscious effort for her to not let her signature relax into nothingness, to move to the bar without physically tensing, and to not tremble as she poured herself and Kakashi their beverages.

No one looked at her for longer than a moment, just a casual glance new movement usually garnered, but it felt as if every single one of them were bending their full attention on her.

The journey took less than two minutes, but Aioka was more wired than she had been when sparring Kakashi the previous week by the time she handed the masked jonin his drink.

While she was thankful Kakashi had accepted her thoughtless offer and she didn't have to deal with the fall out of her impulsive faux pas, she wasn't sure she didn't prefer the embarrassment over the intense scrutiny she was now subject too.

"Did your teams make it in alright? I didn't see them when I left Team 7," Kakashi asked, tilting his head in invitation for her to sit by him on the couch he had claimed. Asuma and Kurenai had taken the other couch and Gai was sitting with his arms folded over the back of simple chair.

Aioka shoved her gibbering thoughts to the back of her mind—there was not a snowball's chance in summer that she was going to have an anxiety attack in front of these people—and took a sip of her coffee to ground herself.

"They did. How is Haruno-san holding up?" she asked.

She had seen Sasuke almost every night since the spar with Kakashi and was slowly getting to know the boy beneath the anger and trauma. Naruto was good for him and he for Naruto. The two boys were inseparable, feeding off each other's competitiveness and dreams. Aioka could almost see wisps of what the two would become together, and the vision raised hairs at its potential for prosperity or destruction.

"I still think you underestimate the girl, Aioka-san," Kakashi deflected mildly, his eye drifting in a casual sweep of the room before returning to his book.

Aioka inwardly rolled her eyes at the evasion and smiled at the curious gazes of her new companions. "Kakashi and I have differing opinions of his kunoichi genin," she explained, resting her hands in her lap and absently running a thump along the styrofoam cup. "How long have you three been jonin-sensei?"

"I've been stoking the flames of my team's youthfulness for almost two years, Shojikina-san," Gai answered, doing...something with his eyebrows Aioka wasn't aware was physically possible. The jonin may be the nicest person in the world but he made her skin prickle uncomfortably.

"This is my first time," Kurenai offered. "Both Kakashi and Asuma have tested others before their current teams. I made jonin last year and only recently completed my requirements to take on a team."

"What are the requirements, if you don't mind?" Aioka asked, visibly interested and trying to distract herself from the vividness that was Maito Gai. She had wanted to be a jonin-sensei before she ended up in the Genin Corp but hadn't thought any more about it once that avenue had been shut to her.

"Survive a year leading cantankerous career chunin," Asuma said dryly, fiddling with an empty cigarette box.

Kurenai gave a sigh of exasperation but didn't refute the shinobi's statement.

Aioka smiled briefly as she did some mental math and carefully sounded out her conclusion. "I take it that your team is from Team 7's year, then?"

At the kunoichi's proud affirmative, and Asuma's addition that his team was also a batch fresh from the Academy, Aioka turned her eyes to the only jonin she could claim any sort of familiarity with. For a moment she considered opening her mouth to question the intelligence of Konoha's elite, to ask why they wished an early grave for their charges. These genin were children for all that they were seen as adults in the eyes of the village. They needed guidance and chances to gain experience. They needed the bad habits the Academy neglected to correct, corrected. These things were impossible to fix in six months.

Kakashi looked back at her after a moment too long of silence and Aioka came back to herself. She was a genin and it was not her place to voice such things to these people. Kakashi had been gracious in allowing her to speak about her concerns for his team in the privacy of her home. It would be unwise to voice those same concerns to strangers.

"I hope they are looking forward to the challenge," Aioka settled with. The statement was a little too delayed to hide the fact she wanted to say something else, but not so long that it was awkward.

"Yosh! My team will burn brightly with success! They are more than ready to become chunin!" Gai exclaimed, launching a bandaged fist into the air.

Aioka's eyes tightened at the unexpected shout but managed a smile. "Do your students follow you as Taijutus specialist, Maito-san?"

Aioka listened as the four jonin shared stories about their students' successes and several humorous mistakes. Every once in a while Aioka would share an experience but for the most part she listened and observed.

"I think this is the longest I've gone without my team causing mayhem," Kakashi commented into one of the comfortable silences that had fallen over the group. "It's almost boring."

Aioka shot Kakashi a sly smile as the others chuckled. "If rumors are true, you might not enjoy the boredom for much longer, Kakashi-san."

"What rumors?" Kurenai inquired, concern for her team flickering in her eyes while Kakashi simply shot Aioka a brief inquisitive glance.

"Morino Ibiki is in charge of the first stage," Asuma explained, studying Aioka with renewed curiosity.

Aioka caught the man's looked and refrained from shifting nervously.

Was she not supposed to have known that? Her Runners in T&I had assured her that the division wasn't making it a secret of who was handling each stage.

Kakashi frowned as he looked up from the final chapter of his book. "That sadist? I figured it would be someone a little lower on the food chain."

"Sadist?" Kurenai asked, alarm coloring her tone and her hands twitching in what Aioka could only assume was an aborted genjutsu.

"I suppose you wouldn't have a reason to know of him since you're still a new jonin," Asuma mused, turning his attention to the worried kunoichi. "Morino Ibiki is the Head of Torture and Interrogation. He's also in charge of the assassin squads."

"Torture isn't something I was taught as a genin," Kurenai protested. "That isn't required until prepping for the jonin exam."

Aioka tucked that tidbit away. She had wondered what rank Konoha expected its shinobi to deal with torture. Plus she hadn't known that the jonin rank was tested for. She had assumed it was all field promotion after chunin.

"Worry not, Kurenai-san!" Gai encouraged, shooting Asuma an amused look for winding the pretty kunoichi up. "Ibiki won't physically touch them."

"That's not as comforting as it probably should be, Maito-san," Aioka remarked dryly as the genjutusu mistress gazed worriedly toward the door leading to the rest of the Hokage Tower. The T&I specialist didn't need to touch someone to mess them up. From what she understood from her Runners, Morino Ibiki loved psychological warfare. More than one of her Runner's had transfered out of T&I to get away from the mind games that occured on a daily basis.

"Where did you hear the rumors, Shojikina-san?" Asuma inquired. "I only found out last night from a relative."

"I have genin stationed at T&I for missive running, Sarutobi-san," Aioka replied. "The T&I employees made no secret of what they had planned for the first phase. The second phase is a little more hush hush, but we know who is leading that one and we made a few educated guess at what it would entail."

"You're in charge of the message genin?" Kurenai clarified, turning her gaze away from the door and her mind away from whatever she had signed her genin up for. "I always wondered how they were managed."

Aioka would have let the assumption stand—she had no reason to advertise her rank—but Kakashi had finished his book and decided to stir up some entertainment.

"Didn't you know, Kurenai? Aioka-san is the Genin Commander."

The intense interest the room as a whole had been showing her was just becoming manageable for the out ranked kunoichi. With the Copy-nin's revelation, however, the pressure of scrutiny intensified once more.

Aioka eyed her empty styrofoam cup contemplatively, wondering if there was a viable way to injure a jonin with it. She supposed she could crumble it and force him to inhale the flaky particles and choke, but with him wearing a mask it would be a mite difficult.

She really was coming to dislike being around so many Jonin.

"Genin Commander?"

"Hai, Yuhi-san." Aioka sighed at the confused kunoichi's inquiry, and gave Kakashi a flat look for the unwanted attention she was getting. A look the mischievous jonin happily beamed at her for. She turned to the other kunoichi and continued before she gave into the temptation to attempt at shocking the man with a low level raiton. "I am the Genin Commander. I'm responsible for the organization of the Genin Corp and signing lots of paperwork."

"I wasn't aware that career genin had a commander," Asuma commented. Amusement coloring his voice as he eyed the two across from him. Kakashi looked far to pleased with the (for him) tame teasing he had just delivered. As far as Asuma could tell, the woman wasn't even that irritated, but judging by how pleased the last Hatake was with himself, Asuma was missing something.

Aioka made a dismissive gesture. "Not many do, Sarutobi-san, it's mainly administrative any way."

Before anything else could be asked, commotion in the hall drew the attention away from her and Aioka closed her eyes briefly in relief. The jonin all stood, and Aioka followed their example. Time to see how her genin faired.

A:CG


	22. 021 First Stage Pt 2 (Corp POV)

**A/N:** Hmm. Yeah. Way passed the 19th of...I forget what month.

So you all know, this chapter was an absolute pain in the puh-tush to write. I had 7, SEVEN!, versions of this stupid thing before I was finally happy with it. Ugh.

Fortunately, I have already started the next chapter, and have two more in pieces right now. If we're lucky, I might even get the next chapter posted before the end of the month!

Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed or PM'd me since the last chapter. It's inspiring to hear that you guys like A:CG enough to give it multiple read throughs.

 **Disclaimer:** Meh, Naruto and it's characters aren't mine.

A/N 9/19: Added final part of First Stage (new) and Ibiki's POV from chap. 20.

* * *

"Ready?"

Azurichi Chojuro hummed in response to Noki's directionless inquiry. They had been training for this moment for nearly two years. For so long, this opportunity was nothing but a wishful day dream for him and his peers; something to yearn for in vain hope. Now he and his five team mates stood outside the Academy about to be the first Career Genin in Konoha's history to participate in the Chunin Exams

"As can be," the big man replied, adjusting the straps of his mission pack and casting a smirk at the men and woman standing with him. "Shall we?"

The six eased in with the gathering throng of chunin hopefuls and allowed themselves to be swallowed up, becoming just another nervous face among the crowds.

Chojuro ghosted among the jonin-track genin, picking up bits and pieces of conversation as he made his way through the Academy doors and up to the next floor.

"..forgot flash bangs! Tsuki-san is going to gut me!"

"Don't forget, Ko-san has the antidote."

"Ugh, my sebon stabbed me. Quit laughing, you idiot!"

"What room were we supposed to go to again?"

Other snippets were heard and catalogued, no matter how insignificant it seemed. After all, it was more often the small details that made a plan work.

On the second floor, Chojuro held back a grimace at the simplistic genjutsu and the poor henge being used, he dearly hoped that those who were ensnared would get dismissed before the real challenges came up. If a basic area genjutsu was all it took to confuse these participants, there was little chance of them surviving a meeting with the host of the first test.

Since their Soutachio had given them their exam applications, the two teams had scouted the area individually and as teams as covertly as they were able. Runners and Scouts had kept them informed of the rumours and facts shared in T&I. The first test would be hosted by Morino Ibiki, the head of T&I, and would be a test of intellect.

The room they needed to be in was another floor up. If people had paid attention to their surroundings, they would have noticed that all the other doors were marked with numbers in the two-hundreds, not three-hundreds.

Chojuro eased himself to the back of the crowd, listening to the grumbling of the people around him and the mocking of the henged chunin, and wondered what happened to the teams that passed into blocked door.

"An interesting way to thin the herd."

Chojuro twitched at the sudden and too close inquiry but managed to abort the reactive attack. "Noki, I am going to stab you one day and I will laugh."

Noki shrugged with an easy smile. "If I bleed, I deserve it. Now," the wiry man tilted his head away from the crowd, "shall we? No point in watching this lot when we can make better observations elsewhere."

Chojuro agreed and caught the eye of his female teammate, making an inquiring gesture—asking if she thought it would be worth it to observe this particular farce.

Nokomu Izumi, like himself and their teammate Shoku Gan, was one of the original Genin assigned to the Enforcers. She, like them, had been hand picked by Shigako Dozu when the Enforcer Division became an officially unofficial division of the Genin Corp shortly after the Uchiha Massacre.

While all three of them were excellent at sifting through spoken word for interesting information, it was Izumi who was the best at figuring out if a source had more to divulge or if it was tapped out and not worth prodding further.

The woman took a moment to listen to the henged genjutsu users mocking before answering a negative and slipped up to the third floor. Chojuro and Noki followed after making sure their other teammates slipped away undetected.

"Is anyone else disturbed that those people are jonin sponsored and fell for that?" the lone kunoichi of the group asked. A perturbed frown twisting her lips.

Chojuro huffed at the inquiry as they settled in the hall down a ways from room 301. "Remember who's hosting this test, Izumi-san. It would make more sense for that," he gestured vaguely toward the second floor, "to be something to lull people into a false sense of confidence at its simplicity."

"Or to wind them up into balls of paranoia," Noki added.

Chojuro conceded the point and frowned when he caught something amiss with one of his team mates. "This pack is frayed, Kei-san."

The taijutsu specialist grimaced as the bigger man physically examined the worn straps. "It's the best I have right now. Yuuto is sick and Kaa-san has been staying home to care for him."

"Idiot, you know the Corp has extras," Noki griped unhappily. "And why didn't you mention that earlier? We would have made time to help."

Kei glowered at the ceiling as Chojuro started looking over the rest of his gear for wear. "You know how my Kaa-san is."

The two teams winced. Kei's mother was proud and overbearing. Never pleased with Kei's efforts to fill his father's shoes in caring for her and his brother, and begrudged every ryo that went toward Kei's shinobi career. It had gotten so bad, Kei had to request payments for new equipment be taken out before receive a paycheck so his mother could not interfere. Nothing anyone said could soften the woman. Not even Aioka herself.

"If we have time, I'll try and reinforce it before the second exam," Izumi promised, eyeing the bag closely. Likely calculating what she would need to do what she offered.

Kei murmured his thanks and shelved his family problems. "Let's go mingle."

Chojuro stepped away, clapping the other man on the shoulder in support, and lead the way to the double doors.

They were among the first to arrive, so took advantage of being able to observe the way the newcomers reacted in order to best plan on how to approach them. Gradually, each made casual acquaintances with their fellow leaf nin and rubbed elbows with the foreign teams, easing what information they could from each person.

By the time Naruto's team arrived, the six had settled into conversations with a variety of chunin hopefuls. Izumi in particular had managed to draw in a number of kunoichi into a discussion about how the humidity in Konoha affected hair and how to best utilize the changes to hide various pointy things in hair styles.

Chojuro glanced up from examining a peculiar set of nunchucks a sand nin was allowing him to examine. Naruto's year mates were causing quite the commotion.

The nine genin stood out rather starkly for their youth among the crowd of teenagers. Most of the testing genin were in their mid to late teens, one looked to be nearing fifty but Chojuro suspected the man was a chunin wearing an effective disguise to psych the less informed into thinking they could get stuck at that rank for the rest of their life. As far as he knew, jonin-track genin only remained under a jonin for a total of four years. If they didn't rank up before that, they were demoted to the genin corp. That was always an unpleasant situation but fortunately a rare one.

In the seventeen years he had been a career genin, he had only seen five jonin-track genin get dropped into the corp. And only two of those had happened since Aioka had become Commander.

A blond girl—likely a Yamanaka—was draping herself over the shoulders of Team 7's Uchiha Sasuke, goading Team 7's kunoichi. The spectacle was loud and drawing unfriendly attention.

"If blood isn't spilled before the proctor arrives, I'll buy dango for the three of us," Chojuro bets, handing the nunchucks back the the Suna-nin with a shallow bow of thanks.

The Suna-nin glanced toward the rookie nin and snorted dismissively. "No bet. Best of luck, Azurichi-san, Shoku-san." With that, the Suna-nin wandered back to his team.

"Same here," Gan declined after a moment more of watching the tension rise with the interference of silver a haired leaf-nin. That one had managed to subtly avoid interacting with any of the Career Genin and had been marked as someone to watch.

Team 7 tried to end the confrontation, but the blond—definitely a Yamanaka with those eyes—kept the older leaf-nin talking, which led to them being pulled back into the limelight when the Inuzuka heir demanded that info cards be read on Sasuke and a few foreign-nin.

A glance at the few other Inuzuka participants showed Chojuro that the young heir would be hearing about his faux pas later.

"This could get ugly," Chojuro muttered, watching the restlessness spread further among the already high strung shinobi. "Whose brilliant idea was it to leave hostile genin all in the same room?"

It was a relief when smoke filled the front of the room and a voice boomed out. "Enough!"

Chojuro carefully straightened under the weight of the Killing Intent emitting from the man who matched the description of Morino Ibiki. To his surprise, Chojuro found that he recognized a couple of the chunin who arrived behind the large interrogator.

"Aren't those two Soutachio's friends?" Chojuro asked, leaning in Gan's direction while listening to the Interrogator admonish the Oto-nin for fighting without permission.

"Mhm, can't think of their names though," Gan replied. "Pretty sure they were the ones doing that awful genjutsu downstairs."

The odd hair and facial bandages kind of made it hard to argue. The only difference between the men behind Morino Ibiki and the Henged ones downstairs was the height and lack of baby fat around the face.

The chunin began to move at some unseen command, and the genin corp shinobi turned their attention to the test administrator.

"The first stage isn't starting just yet." The man's face was cold and severe as he looked at the gathered genin. "Get in line. You will each hand me your application and draw a tile from this bag," he pulled a weighty sack from one of the deep pockets of his trench coat. "Your seat with be the desk with the corresponding number on the tile."

The command was followed in wary silence. Chojuro wondered at how loud paper and cloth could be and did not envy those who underwent stealth training in these conditions. He could not imagine trying to silence his clothes. How did people do that any way? He'd look it up later.

The rambling thoughts continued until he was in his seat. A quick glance showed that Izumi and Kei were within his line of sight but he would have to twist to the left and right to see Noki, Gan, and Deidre. Deidre was the furthest away by being in the second row from the front— directly in front of the jinchuuriki from Suna.

There were twelve tables. Three of which had five genin instead of four. The odd tables out had the dubious pleasure of being closest to the man over seeing this stage of the Exam.

The chunin who had entered with Morino, had laid out papers at each spot while the genin had lined up for drawing numbers and now sat along the long walls at the end of each row of tables.

Strangely, one of the chunin not only had bandages covering the top of his head and eyes, his hitai-ate was tied over his eyes as well. Chojuro would love the opportunity to question the man on how he remained in active service with such a crippling handicap.

"Pay attention, I'll only say this once." Chojuro was not the only one to snap his attention to the proctor at the barked statement. "Each of you will start with ten points, one point for each question on the test. The more wrong answers you get, the less points you will have." Black eyes tracked over the gathered genin dispassionately. "The combined score of a team with play a large factor into individual consideration for promotion. For this first stage, you pass or fail as a team."

"On a final note," the movement of the man's mouth was entirely a bearing of teeth rather than a mockery of a grin, "For every time my assisting chunin catch someone cheating, two points will be subtracted for every offence. When someone loses all ten of their points they will be dismissed...along with their whole team." The not grin somehow became sharper and more sadistically amused when the group of genin twitched toward—or actually looked at—the team mate they trusted the least. "So don't screw up."

The proctor's expression fell back to his initial expression of foreboding. "Turn your test over, you have one hour."

Chojuro exhaled slowly and rolled his shoulders in a fruitless effort to rid himself of the tension in his neck.

He was in awe. The Tokubetsu Jonin's ability to manipulate emotion was beyond anything Chojuro had witness and he was eager to take notes for his own use. Emotional manipulation was something Enforcers used to interact smoothly with civilians and, at times, with their own teammates. The slightest lilt of a word or phrase could soothe, enrage, or comfort a person. A tilt of the chin, a shift of the eyes, could plant a suggestion that an idea was their own, and not actually his.

He had respected Morino's reputation before, but now he respected the man. Even as he terrified him.

Briefly checking on the team mates he could easily see, Chojuro turned his attention to his test and flipped it over.

The first question was a cypher of some sort that lacked any sort of obvious key. Questions two, five, and eight were genjutsu theory. Third was something mathematical as well as political (which, what?). Fourth, sixth, seventh, and ninth, Chojuro couldn't make heads or tails of. The tenth question would be given orally in the last ten minutes of the hour.

At least this was a familiar exercise. It really wasn't so different than taking the written portion of a MSE (Mandatory Skills Evaluation). He and his fellow chunin hopefuls had been in a never ending MSE since last year, so this was rather disappointing beginning.

Picking up his pencil, Chojuro answered questions two, three, and five before lifting his head to check on Kei and Izumi. And promptly lifted a hand to hide a silent laugh.

Izumi, the insanely ballsy kunoichi, had pulled a scroll from her pack and was happily ignoring the glare boring into her skull from the chunin in charge of her row, as well as the flat look the proctor was giving her. They couldn't even call her for cheating as it was something she had in her mission pack.

Chojuro chuckled quietly and tilted his head down to appear to be studying the page again but kept his gaze scanning the men and women around him. He had answered all he could on his own, time to decide which chunin plant he was going to target.

The 'old man' was too far out of his reach but there were a total of six plants. Two 'teams', two plants in each row.

Kei was sitting next to one such plant. That made things so much easier, even if it was boring.

Chojuro grumbled when he felt the person next to him shift to get a better look at his test. With a bit of concentration, Chojuro sifted his chakra into one of his most practiced genjutsus.

"Genjutsu: Boyaketa Shiryoku," murmured Chojuro.

It wasn't a complicated genjutsu, but he was pretty sure the Blurry Vision Genjutsu—a favorite of the Filing Division—would be enough to deter the Kusa shinobi.

A moment later, the shinobi shifted away with a barely discernible huff.

Chojuro almost rolled his eyes at the other's pouting. That attempt was pathetic. What was he? A fresh faced graduate? He had seen better cheating from Kei's seven year old brother.

Scribbling a note on his page, Chojuro decided to get the ball rolling on finishing up the test. He'd need Izumi's help with the cypher.

* * *

Nokumo Izumi stretched her writing hand and rotated her wrist in a limbering exercise while studying the paper before her.

Huh, Chojuro had answered less than she had, but he had some good points when answering the Genjutsu theory. She liked his answers. When she got back to her seat she would have to edit hers.

A note on the page made her hum, her voice deliberately an octave or two lower than her usual tone. Seemed that her captain wanted to play a game of Hopscotch and Masks.

With practiced movements, the kunoichi erased the note and began filling out the cypher her team captain had left blank as well as question five. Keeping in mind that she could not nibble on her lip like she preferred. Chojuro's tick was to roll air from one cheek to the other when filling out reports.

Seeing hands larger than her mimicking her actions was familiar, but still could catch her by surprise if she forgot what she was doing.

Hopscotch and Mask were two exercises-games that taught genin how to Kawarimi with another team mate and to Henge into a teammate. There was more to it than that though.

Hopscotch was about learning to feel and acknowledge a teammate's chakra request and allowing that teammate to use them to substitute with. This would eventually allow teammate to trade opponents mid fight. There was always the danger of someone else attempting this and dropping someone into a lethal situation, though. It's why the Academy deliberately taught students to resist a forced Kawarimi. It was so drilled into Academy students that most shinobi thought it was impossible to Kawarimi with a live person without severe consequences.

Masks was much less dangerous but somehow more difficult. The game was between two teams who knew each other fairly well. One team would leave the room, Henge into a teammate (or stay the same) then come back to the other team. The team that had not Henged, had to guess who Henged into who. The part that made this game so difficult was, as they got to know each other better, the ones Henging had to learn the ticks of the person they were Henging into in order to fool the other team.

Izumi glanced toward her original seat and saw Chojuro rolling a pencil between his fingers in a distracted manner. Just like she did when she was thinking deeply on something.

Reaching out, she tugged lightly at his coils. She was ready to switch.

* * *

Kei's hand flashed to a kunai when a startled shout rang out behind him—only to huff in irritation and release the weapon when he registered what was going on.

A Konoha-nin was on his feet glaring toward one of the chunin against the wall—his eyes too wide to be genuinely scared of the kunai pinning his test to the desk

"What was that for?!"

Deciding to take advantage of the distraction going on, Kei set about getting a clearer look at his neighbour's test. With half an ear on what was happening, he quickly got the bullet points of each answer before the chunin plant pretended to remember he should probably guard his test.

"You messed up one too many times," the chunin who had called the genin out stated. "You and your teammates are dismissed."

Kei let out a slow breath as he got the last bit.

"Great job, moron."

Kei glanced up and around when his neighbour left with the genin who mess up and one other. They just cut out half the plants.

 _Oh, that's just cruel,_ he thought ducking his head to flesh out the answers he had stolen.

If the proctor was going to be that nasty, he might as well further hamper everyone.

Planting a hand on his desk with fingers splayed, he rubbed at his eyes with his other. Chakra raced through his arm and out the pinky of his planted hand.

Grumbling he hunched over his test and continued revising his answers. It took a minute before the faint ember he had ignited on the corner of the test burst into a true flame and consumed the test. He allowed himself to jerk when it happened, swearing once or twice and glaring accusingly at the startled Ame-nin on the other side of the burning test.

"Settle down, number 29, 31," the chunin at the end of his row snapped.

Kei shot the Ame-nin a last glare before erasing the streak of lead he had struck across his paper. Not too long later, another team was dismissed. This time an actual genin team.

A questing trendle of familiar chakra tugged inquisitively at his coils. Smirking he leaned a cheek against a hand and twiddled with his pencil.

The tug turned into a grasp and Kei exhaled as he Henged into Gan. While teams all around the room began failing, Kei and his fellow Career genin played Hopscotch and Masks until everyone had their tests filled out. Each initiating the switch or accepting as needed.

Other than the questions being asked, the first stage of the chunin exam wasn't proving to be very challenging. Then again, gathering information was something they had done daily for years. It was a small challenge figuring out who the plants were.

Frankly, Kei was a bit bored now that the excitement of being surrounded by T&I specialized chunin had worn off.

He wondered how much of a bad idea it would be to cause other teams to fail.

"Excuse me."

Kei—Henged as Noki— paused to look at the brother of Suna's Jinchuuriki with mild disbelief. Was this joker seriously going to ask a question now?

Worse, actually. The idiot requested to use the bathroom and used something human shaped pretending to be a Konoha chunin to 'escort' him to the facilities. The chunin fake wasn't a half-bad attempt for an outsider, but the fake and the Suna-nin moved far too similarly.

The cuffs on a lead were an amusing touch...and another giveaway that the chunin was a fake. There was only fifteen minutes left in the test; a real chunin would have more than likely told the Suna-nin to suck it up.

Looking back down at his test, Kei fixed a few grammar errors to kill time. The six of them had filled out their tests a while ago. With him having been next to a plant, it was only a matter of getting him to each test to fill in what the others hadn't been able to get themselves. From what he had seen, everyone had written something on each others test. They had made an effort to mimic the hand-writing of whoever's test they were working on, but forgery was not a skill they had much practice in, so it was fairly obvious there were multiple authors to each test.

Kei idly glanced at the clock, just as the main proctor's bass rolled over the quiet genin. "Now that we've weeded out most of the slackers," the man drawled, dark eyes watching every twitch and start his abrupt statement caused. "Let's get on with the most important question."

The genin around him fairly vibrated with anticipation and nerves. Kei was mostly impatient. He wouldn't mind being allowed to use the restroom, right about now. Stupid Suna-nin, making him recall he had bodily functions.

"Before we get to that—I'm tacking on a final rule."

Kei blinked languidly while the others muttered uneasily. A soft creaking herald the reappearance of the missing Suna-nin. The proctor's smirked was sharp and his tone faintly mocking. "Heh, looks like you're in luck. The time you've played with dolls wasn't completely wasted." The smirk faded. "Sit."

The black clad nin obeyed quickly and Kei returned his full attention to the Tokubetsu Jonin.

The man slowly, deliberately, paced in front of the classroom as he spoke. His tone captivating in its threat.

Kei wonder if his Soutachio had taken lessons from the man. They both managed to catch and hold people's attention with their voice alone.

"This rule is absolute. You must choose to accept or reject the tenth question."

Kei frowned, subtly sliding a glance toward his nearest teammate. Deidre—or whoever was Henged as Deidre—was slowly rolling his pencil between his palms, eyes glued to the proctor.

"Choose?" Kei snapped his gaze toward the kunoichi on the Suna jinchuuriki's team. He thought she might be their sister but wasn't positive if he wasn't mixing that up with another Suna team. "What happens is someone doesn't accept the question?" she demanded.

The proctor eyed the kunoichi until the young woman pressed her lips together uneasily.

"Refusal to make an attempt will result in an immediate loss of all points, and the entire team will fail."

This time most of the gathered genin voiced their indignation and anxiety. Kei shifted uncomfortably. His bladder was protesting.

"Then why would anyone choose that option?" someone cried out above the mutterings.

"Because," The proctor's voice cut through the chatter, "if you try, and fail, to answer you and your teammates will never be permitted to apply for the Chunin Exams again."

Silence reigned for a long moment.

"You can't be serious!" the cry was emphasized by the high pitched barking of a puppy. "There are shinobi here who've sat for the Chunin Exams more than once already. We know there are!"

 _The Inuzuka Heir again,_ Kei noted. _Wonder how pissed off his clansmen are going to be._

The hair on Kei's arms raised and his mouth went dry as the big man laughed. The sound was _not_ a pleasant one.

The laughed last long enough to make everyone cringe in their seats before cutting off as if it never were… which was even more terrifying than the laughter itself.

"It's just your rotten luck that I'm the one making the rules this year. Isn't it?" The man turned away dismissively. "Anyone who is having doubts, would be smart in rejecting the question right now."

Kei had to drop his head into his hands, shoulders trembling with an effort not to laugh at the utter horror the mans words brought to his fellow genin.

The others were so wrapped up in the mesmerizing terror the man was inflicting on them that they weren't thinking. The other villages would not follow through with the Tokubetsu's threat. Even if Konoha held to it, the other villages could send the current participating genin to the Exam held in different villages. Heck, they could even field promote.

There was also the fact that there was no way an _Interrogation Specialist_ would have that kind of power or authority.

"Those who choose to reject the question, raise your hand now. Once your number is confirmed you and your teammates will leave."

Kei kept his head bowed as a tense silence fell over the room, silently counting down the seconds before someone snapped.

"I," someone stuttered, shoving to their feet. "I quit! I reject the question."

Kei glanced over his shoulder without straightening up himself. It was a Sarutobi chunin plant. Kei was impressed by the very convincing mien of conflicted nerves the man held. Clever to include a member of the Sandaime's clan in this ruse. If a clansman of the Hokage was quitting, what shame was in it if others followed?

Sure enough, people began dropping out like Aburame bees exposed to smoke.

Sighing softly, Kei settled in to wait the exodus out. It was kind of annoying that the questions he and the others had hunted out didn't mean anything in the end.

...or did they?

Reviewing the T&I specialists introduction, Kei nodded to himself. The questions on the test would be used at the end of the exam when the Kage's considered who they would advance to chunin. At least that what he guessed at. Morino Ibiki was not an easy man to read.

"Never underestimate me!"

Kei snapped his head around to stare at a familiar genin a few rows behind him.

"I won't quit, and I won't run," the boy snapped passionately. "I'll accept your stupid question. Even if I risk ending up a genin for the rest of my life…" whiskerd cheeks stretched in a fierce, defiant, grin, "I'll still become Hokage. _I am not afraid of you._ "

All at once, the fear—the indecision—was broken. Genin all over the rooms regained their resolve. And Kei had to hide a frown behind a smirk.

He had known Uzumaki Naruto personally for a bit over three years. He liked the boy, respected him even, but he could not rationalize the mask with his Soutachio's apprentice. It made his head hurt and he had a difficult time not treating the boy like the nuisance he acted like whenever he encountered Naruto outside the HQ.

"Last chance," the proctor called, pulling Kei's attention back to the front of the room.

Looking over the room, the proctor saw only determined faces. Humming, the big man slid his gaze toward the chunin lining the walls before nodding sharply. "Good call."

Kei blinked as a weight abruptly left his chest and stared. That was a seriously subtle piece of genjutsu. Or was the man just that charismatic that he could influence the emotions of a crowd so thoroughly? Either way, Kei wanted pointers.

"Congratulations," Morino Ibiki smirked. "You've just passed the first stage."

* * *

Noki leaned back and draped an arm over the back of his—well, Deidre's—seat, while the dumbfound silence reigned. The movement was half to get comfortable after being in the same spot for so long, and half to get the Suna Jinchuuriki out of his blind spot.

The red head hadn't done anything threatening in the last hour, but Noki was not comfortable sitting so close—even less comfortable allowing Deidre to come back. He was built for speed—Deidre wasn't—he would have a better chance of getting away from the unstable Biju host.

"Wait. What about the tenth question?"

Noki slid his gaze to a perplexed kunoichi. The young woman was from Ame and had a stylized bo leaning against her portion of the desk—Noki doubt the kunoichi would be able to get it up fast enough if she was attacked; not with it half under the bench of the row in front of her.

The question was a fair one...if you didn't stop to think about it. Morino had said they had to answer one last question before the test would end. He had offered them a choice—which is a form of a question—and they had chosen. So they had answered the question of whether or not they were going to risk his bluff.

"The choice to stay or go, was the question," Morino rumbled with a faint smirk. His tolerant—and amused—demeanor a stark contrast to what it was before.

A quick survey of the surrounding chunin showed that they, too, were far more relaxed than they had been during the test.

A demonstration of 'turning off' a work mentality, maybe? Noki wondered, puzzled over the change.

"What were the first nine questions for? They were pointless!" another kunoichi called out.

Noki identified her as Temari no Sunakagure, the Jinchuuriki's sister. Fuuton user if the giant fan was any indicator. Not surprising, considering she was from Kaze no Kuni: Land of Wind.

Judging by the sweat glistening at her temples, she had either exerted a lot of energy to retrieve the needed answers...or had barely managed to answer any of the questions. Possibly both.

What was it with these jonin-track kunoichi asking questions they already had the answer to?

Noki scratched at his neck with the hand closer to his table, versus the one draping over the bench, as he listened to the main proctor explain the importance of cheating to the kunoichi. He would bet that the Kage would use the paper tests to determine each genin's ability to gather correct information. As none of the Kage were witnessing this particular stage of the Exam, they would need something to help them come to a decision.

Noki allowed himself to sigh and roll his eyes at the blatant confusion—or pride—on the faces of his peers when it was explained to them that there had been chunin plants sitting among them. Only for his attention to be thoroughly caught by Morino's next words and actions.

"Those who cheat poorly, fail," Morino said solemnly as his gloved hands reached up to remove his bandana styled hitai-ate.

The black fabric was pulled away and a bald head was revealed. Deep grooves, and arching ridges of scar tissue mapped the man's skull and drifted down his face to his chin.

"They fail because there will be times when information is more important than life. On missions, or on the battlefield, you will risk your lives to get it... and take lives to get it."

Noki's breath caught when black eyes rested on him for the barest moment; feeling the weight of experience and promise in the proctors voice.

Morino let the moment stand, allowing the genin to absorb the warning, before speaking again as he replaced his hitai-ate.

"Remember this," he commanded. "In your hands, important information can be a powerful weapon for your comrades and for you village. We had you gather information by cheating, to separate those who can potentially survive and those who can't."

"But...I don't understand the final question," Temari said, an attentive frown pinching at her brow. "We didn't have to gather information for that one."

Noki didn't bother being exasperated this time, thoroughly captivated by the torture survivor and his teachings.

"The last question is an example of a choice you, as chunin, will have to make every time you go on a mission," Morino explained. "To do, or not to do. To risk your life, and the lives of your teammates, or not. If you could not make this difficult choice now, you would not be able to make it when it counted. The ability to make the hard choices, to face the risk of life and limb, is a characteristic looked for in Chunin.

"The cowards who left in hopes of 'next year', who walked away from their chance, showed the truth of their readiness and don't deserve to become Chunin. You who chose to take it, answered the tenth question correctly." Black eyes swept over the gathered genin and Noki was sure he was not the only one who straightened under the pride on the man's face. "You have made it through the entrance. The first stage of the Chunin Exams is over."

Relieved chatter burst out around the room and Noki allowed himself to grin. They made it!

Before he could turn to find his teammates, Noki saw Morino's demeanor sharpen and his gaze dart toward the windows.

Noki barely had time to register a demented grin and short purple hair before he had to raise an arm to protect his face from airborn shattered glass. Alarmed and angered cries rang out—even from one of the Chunin against the wall (who was unfortunate enough to be seat next to the window the intruder decided to come through) though his was more of harsh swearing than anything.

The hissing swish of kunai—and fabric?—rent the air, quickly followed by the familiar sound of wood being pierced.

By the timeNoki dropped his arm, the intruder was on their feet, dramatically posed before a black banner.

"This is no time to be celebrating" the kunoichi barked, glaring over them. "I'm the Proctor for the second stage: Mitarashi Anko. Follow me!"

Noki shifted uncomfortably as an awkward silence fell over the room.

Mitarashi Anko was a known name among the Runners and Scouts stationed at T&I. The Lieutenants of the Runner and Scout Division (Daidoshi Saito and Maeda Jin) had developed a sort of Bingo Book for Message Runners over the years. The book listed shinobi that required special precautions—beyond the common sense 'don't sneak up on them' rule—if messages were to be delivered to them. Morino Ibiki had the largest entry but Mitarashi's was in the top ten when it came to the number of warning listed. There were many stories the Message Runners could tell about their experiences interacting with the kunoichi.

Noki's current discomfort had nothing to do with the kunoichi's ill timed entrance, and the following awkward silence, and everything to do with his physical response. He was very much not used to the ways of non Corp kunoichi. He had not been desensitized, as it were, to the affects kunoichi could have on shinobi. While he did not begrudge kunoichi making use of every weapon in their arsenal, he was embarrassed over his response.

At a glance, Mitarashi's torso appeared to only be covered by a mesh armor shirt and an open trench coat (one very similar to Morino's), giving the illusion of naked skin beneath. The short skirt and mesh armored shorts only added to the image of a mostly naked woman.

Noki grimaced and turned his attention to the banner as it ruffled and was pushed aside by an unimpressed Morino.

"Bad timing, Mitarashi," the first Proctor deadpanned.

"78?" the kunoichi dropped the fist she had thrust in the air at her demand for them to follow her. "Ibiki! You passed 26 teams?"

Noki blinked and allowed himself to glanced between the two T&I specialists speculatively. The two were close and the rank between them was mostly disregarded, if their form of addressing each other meant anything. The lack of honorifics could mean any number of things.

Morino shifted his shoulders with a faint smile. "There is a lot of potential here."

If Morino isn't careful, he's going to give the gathered genin big heads. Noki mused even as he couldn't help the pleased smirk tugging at his lips.

The purple haired kunoichi scoffed. "Bah, whatever. I'll cut them in half in the next test."

A mad grin and flashing brown eyes (unnerving with their lack of pupil) was directed at the frozen genin. "I'm so excited. I'll explain when we get to our destination," the discomforting grin widened as she turned toward the window she had broken through. "I hope you can keep up. I would be such a shame if some of you got lost."

With that brief warning, the kunoichi launched herself back out the window. Noki shuddered when the Jinchuuriki flashed by him, but quickly launched after the smaller boy. He would find a roof to wait for his teammates on. After all, he already knew where the next stage was to be held. No reason not to regroup.

A:CG

Morino Ibiki watched the last of the remaining genin chase Anko out the broken window.

If not for Uzumaki Naruto's speech, more than half the remaining teams would have quit. He did not expect most of the teams to get through Anko's test unscathed. While what he had told Anko was true, there was a lot of potential this year, it was misleading as most of the potential only laid with in a small handful of the genin.

The Suna Jinchuuriki was exceptionally talented (but unstable). The Rookie teams weren't bad for only six months under their belts but nothing outstanding. There was a kernel of something going on with Kakashi's team but only time would tell if it would pan out or shatter. The Oto teams were skilled and worth watching, as were a couple of teams from Ame. However, it was the Genin Corp teams that stood out to the Interrogator.

From the start, the differences were present. Where others had arrived ready for a spar or a day challenge, the Genin Corp teams had arrived mission ready with packs supplied for a week. Where others had puzzled over the genjutsu—either genuinely or to mask any perceived skill—they had by passed it completely. The six did not ignore their fellow leaf-nin, or treat them suspiciously, as the others had. They had not stood around while they waited, rather they took the time to mingle with the other teams, both foreign and domestic, and acquaint themselves with their opponents.

Their interpersonal skills shinning as they easily drew genin from multiple villages into group discussion with little to no friction.

The manner the six went about gathering intel during the test was mostly unclear—that corp kunoichi had almost made him laugh out loud when she had pulled out a scroll on cyphers from her pack—but whatever they had done had garnered more than one look from the Hyuuga's in the room. He would love to know what put disbelief on one of their faces—and confusion on the others—and was impressed that he couldn't figure it out himself. He would have to ask before he dismissed the Analysts.

Over all, he was impressed with how the career genin were handling themselves and looked forward to Anko's observations.

Once the last genin slipped from view, Ibiki turned his attention to the chunin who had helped him administer the written exam. A quick glance showed the men and women wandering between the desks and retrieving the papers. Although the tests had not been part of what allowed the genin to move to the next round, the answers would go toward their consideration for chunin by their respective Kage.

"Hitomi-san." The branch Hyuuga looked up from organizing the tests she had gathered. "Tell me about the career genin teams," he ordered.

The others made gestures that betrayed their interest in the subject, but they didn't pause in their tasks.

The woman neatened the stack of papers in her hand as she answered. "They employed henge and kawarimi to gather the answers to their questions."

Ibiki's brows rose sharply. He had not seen any sign of hand seals or smoke at any point from them. Even the Uchiha had used a hand seal to activate his bloodline. Sealless, wordless, smokeless jutsu were incredibly rare; even among jonin and Anbu. The amount of time that sort of mastery took was rarely worth the effort.

"Elaborate," he commanded. While the skill displayed was impressive, it did not explain how they had derived the answers to the test.

The Hyuuga woman obeyed, her amazement occasionally slipping passed the stoicism her clan was famous for. She explained how Azurichi Chojuro initiated the first switch with the kunoichi shortly after she had put away her cypher scroll. The kunoichi of the team had filled out Azurichi's cypher before switching back to her seat. The kunoichi had then proceeded to switch with each of her fellow corp shinobi—after cursing creatively using words like 'hopscotch' and 'masks'. The switch had been done without any visual disruption. The kunoichi had henged into her teammates, and her teammates into her, with no visible flaws. They had switched back once she had finished the shinobi's test then proceeded to switch among their teammates to answer their tests. At no point had the Hyuuga Analyst been able to see what was happening without the use of her Byakugan.

Silence reigned for a moment before Tobitake Tonbo— a blind Sensor in the Analyst Division—spoke up. "The Kunoichi wasn't always the one to initiate the switch. I sensed each initiate it at least once. They seem to 'knock' on each other before following through with their jutsu. When did they henge, Hitomi-san?" the Sensor asked, turning his bandaged face toward the kunoichi.

"As soon as the Kawarimi begins," she answered quietly, her expression awed and troubled.

Until today, kawarimi was thought too difficult to use on a living being. Most attempts left the initiator aching and dizzy. Coil damage wasn't an uncommon side effect, either.

Ibiki shelved his thoughts on the career genin teams. "Right, hand over the tests and you all can go. Good work today."

Once he was alone, Ibiki combed through the tests; organizing them by village then by teams. A few tests stood out for their creativity and one made the Interrogator bark out a short laugh. In his hand was a blank test, the sheet only marred by the name in the corner.

"Uzumaki Naruto, you're a funny guy," he remarked to the empty room. The blonde kid had been silently panicking for the duration of the whole test in the most theatrical way he had seen in quite some time. The entertainment had been welcome.

Huffing another laugh he fished out the six pages he wanted and compared them to the most senior genin team that had participated.

Each of the career genin tests had six different handwriting styles—though each had tried to match the writing of the ones whose name was at the top of the test— and had identical answers. If the six survived Anko's test, Ibiki would advocate for the two team's advancement. Konoha needed more quality chunin. At the very least, these six would do well as spies or espionage specialist. Their forgry needed some work, but it was still impressive for genin.

Briskly, Ibiki graded the tests and then dropped each pile off at rooms designated to each village. He stayed to explain which teams had failed and why before moving to where the Konoha jonin and one career genin where waiting.

Upon his entry into the room full of Konoha Jonin, he quickly found the target of his interest. The flash of relief on her face gave him a pause before he felt a twang of amusement when he saw the company she was keeping. That was a formidable welcome committee for any rank.

"How'd our teams do, Morino-san?"

Ibiki scowled; the team of this particular jonin had tried for chunin twice before this. The only reason this jonin's team had moved on to the second round was due to Uzumaki's rousing speech before Anko's arrival. All the rookie teams had done better than them.

"See for yourself," he grunted, shuffling through the tests to find the jonin's team.

One by one he handed the jonin their teams tests or told them their team failed. When he handed over the last tests to Shojikina, he held onto them a second longer to bring her gaze to his.

Her copper gaze was curious but not worried. The steadiness he had seen in the Hokage's office hadn't been a fluke then. Her test had begun the moment she had filed the petition for her corp. She had passed the first test when she had met the Hokage. The second stage was about to begin.

"We need to discuss your teams."

 **A:CG**


	23. 022 Curious Jonin and Oblivious Chunin

**A/N:** Not much to say about this one...other than I don't like the transitions. Also, dialog between more than two characters is ridiculously hard.

Which would you like to see next? Aioka's meeting with the Hokage or the second stage from the Corp Teams POV?

Enjoy and nitpick at your leisure =D

 **Disclaimer** : Naruto and it's characters aren't mine.

* * *

It never failed to amaze Aioka at how _lethal_ tone of voice could be.

Single words could have a multitude of meanings when coupled with tone. Sentences could deliver messages beyond the spoken word—and body language could add further nuances.

Aioka had heard stories about a number of Konoha's elite from her Runners and Scouts. She had heard of Shiranui Genma's flirtatious mannerisms and his incessant need to have something—be it sebon or a blade of grass—between his teeth. She had laughed and cringed at stories of Mitarashi Anko's inappropriate antics toward everyone she came in contact with. And she had been enthralled with the quiet achievements of Dipugari Koichi—the only jonin of the Dipugari Family. But none of the stories were as numerous, or spoken with such wariness and caution, as those about Morino Ibiki.

The Lieutenants of the Runner and Scout Division, Daidoshi Saito and Maeda Jin, had developed a sort of Bingo Book for Message Runners. The book listed shinobi that required special precautions—beyond the common sense 'don't sneak up on them' rule—if messages were to be delivered to them. Morino Ibiki had the largest entry and only specific Runners or Scouts were permitted to deliver to him.

When Aioka had answered the Hokage's summons, the presence of the interrogation specialist hadn't been completely unexpected but she had been underwhelmed by him. While the man had been physically intimidating, she had not experienced the discomfort her comrades had described to her.

Now, however—having stood within touching distance and having his full attention on her—Aioka understood. Morino Ibiki's every movement was as deliberate as his tone of voice, evoking instant reactions of fear and instilling a strong desire to do whatever she could to make sure that she did not come to harm. He hadn't used a lick of chakra either.

"Shojikina-san?"

Aioka dragged her gaze from the retreating form of the man she had just been admiring and looked at the concerned visage of Yuhi Kurenai.

"My apologies, Yuhi-san, what did you say?" Aioka inquired, rolling the tests Morino had left her.

After Morino's rather ominous statement about her teams, he had arranged a time for the two of them to meet at the tower in the Forest of Death later that day. She was curious at what, exactly, her teams had done to gain such an intense reaction, and pleased to have instruction. Up until that point she hadn't known what to do next as her only instructions were from the note the Hokage had sent her a few days earlier, telling her to wait with the jonin-sensei for her teams results.

Now she could return to her Corp and check in on them. She had anticipated being busy for this whole debatical and had planned accordingly, now she could invest a few hours into taking care of what paperwork her Lieutenants couldn't cover in her absence and check in with the Enforcers and see what kind of mayhem the foreign visitors had stirred up so far.

The motion of the Genjutsu mistress shaking her head, drew Aioka's attention back to the present and to the bemused smile on Yuhi's painted lips. "Would you care to join us for dinner?"

Aioka hesitated. She was rather hungry but she was itching to get back to work, the last week had not been nearly as relaxing as she had hoped it would be. Plus, she was very ready to get away from Jonin scrutiny. One or two she could handle, but over a dozen was playing havoc on her nerves.

A glance at the four who had pulled her into their circle showed she was unlikely to get away just yet. The three who had only met her today had not forgotten the revelation of her rank.

"Perhaps another time, Yuhi-san? I have paperwork to catch up on," Aioka said and added with a wry smile at their skeptical looks,"and I'd rather not have a mental break down just yet."

Yuhi, and the less familiar shinobi, made gestures of amusement while Kakashi had something unreadable in his lone eye. Aioka wondered if he sensed the sincerity behind her humour.

"You choose the place and I'll pay for your meal," the Genjutsu Mistress coaxed, a playful smile tugging her lips.

Aioka opened her mouth to decline again but checked herself. She hadn't gone through all the effort to get here, just to run away because she was getting uncomfortable. The curiosity of these particular jonin was a good thing. Their opinions and observations would get back to the Hokage and add to her Corps' chances to gaining the privilege of joining future Chunin Exams.

"I know an excellent Akimichi place," Aioka offered, wrestling with her unhelpful frustration behind an amused visage.

The kunoichi's focused interest in her was a bit disconcerting but not unexpected—Aioka just wished it hadn't happened when she had so much going on. Between the two Corps teams—and Naruto's—participation in the Chunin Exam, her revelation to the Hokage, her normal duties as Genin Commander, and the sheer number of unfamiliar chakra signatures... Aioka was feeling the strain on her mental composure.

"It's a bit of a walk," Aioka warned as she angled herself toward the door, "so we might hit the dinner rush."

"We could take to the rooftops," Yuhi suggested. The bemusement in the other Kunoichi's voice reminded Aioka that the other ranks didn't usually mingle with crowds much.

"We can if it bothers you," Aioka agreed, allowing the other woman to fall into step with her and guide their group through the tower. As a general rule, all genin walked to their destination unless running messages. If they did as the chunin and jonin did and went everywhere via rooftops, they would lose a great deal of connection with the civilians. The aspect of brushing shoulders, random greetings, and simply being seen was a massive part of why the civilians were so friendly with the genin corp. The corp were real people to them.

When the civilians spoke of the other ranks, there was a distinct lack of familiarity. To the civilians, the chunin and jonin weren't people—not like the corp—they were just mysterious and fascinating beings who guarded them. The civilians viewed the regular forces much like they did Movie stars or characters from their favourite fantasy novel. Something to admire but not really know.

"Yosh, a walk will be invigorating, Shojikina-san! Lead the way!" Gai exclaimed, beaming as he positioned himself in her peripheral. Aioka wasn't sure if she appreciated the consideration or not. Of all the jonin, he was most certainly the one that she did not want to lose sight of. The paranoia toward the Taijutsu specialist was frustrating, because she knew he was the least likely of the four to harm her.

"It will certainly take longer, but it is a nice day," Sarutobi mused from next to Kakashi, bringing up the rear.

Aioka settled on accepting Maito Gai's courtesy with a small but unapologetic smile and addressed the group at large when they left the tower. "Where do you usually eat, Jonin-san?"

 **A:CG**

It was official. Shojikina Aioka was inhuman.

When the woman had told him she was leaving him in charge during the Chunin Exams, he had been humbled that she would entrust her life's work to him. He didn't really recall what the Corp had been like before his Soutaichio began its reformation; he had been in the Academy when she began the endeavor and by the time he found himself being taught by a girl only a few years older than himself, the Corp was already a far cry from what it had been—or so he had heard.

That feeling of humbleness quickly faded to overwhelming disbelief once the reality of what his Soutaichio was actually responsible for was revealed to him.

Oh, he had known the woman had a massive workload. How could he not when he listened and participated in the daily morning debriefs? He had always wondered at how she could juggle all ten divisions that made up the Corp and still have the time and energy to eat and sleep. Now he realized he didn't even know half of what she really did.

Near daily meetings with the various Lieutenants (sometimes up to three at a time) to keep things moving smoothly. Reading and accepting (or denying) personal, Divisional, or civilian requests for her time— it was absolutely adorable that children could request 'missions' from Aioka to play with them.

Then there was the fact the kunoichi spent no less than an hour a day on personal training _and_ usually had a team she led.

Even with Kage Bunshin—which he was determined to get her to teach him one day—he couldn't see how she managed without going insane.

Shigako Duzo raked a hand through his hair and couldn't help the chuckle that left him. If it was slightly hysterical...well, it probably was.

Thank Kami he had followed Aioka's advice to pass his command of the Enforcers to some else. There was no way he would have been able to handle his Lieutenant duties as well as the Commanders.

"I'm going to get something to eat. Mariko's okay?" Duzo asked, standing from the middle desk of the three that made up Soutachio's work area.

To his left and right, Huro Ai and Daidoshi Saito glanced up from where they were combing through piles of paperwork Aioka's Bunshin usually dealt with. He had begged for volunteers on his third day in command; the other Lieutenants had laughed but agreed to rotate in helping him. They weren't laughing now.

"Green tea cakes and Willow Peppermint tea, please," Saito requested with a sigh. The older man rubbing at a head ache behind his eyes.

Ai hummed as she stretched out her hands, oblivious to the way both men winced at the very audible popping of her wrists and fingers. "Rosehip Chamomile would be nice," she agreed.

"A willow peppermint tea with a side of green tea cake, and rosehip chamomile tea," Duzo repeated and glanced at his old teammate. "Nothing to eat, Ai?"

Ai shook her head with a small smile. "I've got a bento in my bag. Thanks though."

Duzo nodded and grumbled as he got to his feet. Of the three of them, Duzo was by far the least experience being seated for long periods of time. Yes he did paperwork like every other Lieutenant but not for days on end like this!

Slipping down the ridiculously steep stairs, Duzo idly rolled his shoulders and alternated between stretching his arms across his chest and behind his head as he made his way toward the civilian entrance.

The civilian traffic into the Enforcer Office had slowed since the official start of the Chunin Exam but it would pick up again when the time for the final task was announced. Most of the business would be guarding requests from business owners and people who felt their homes would be targeted by thieves of the shinobi flavor.

It would be useless to point out that it would be suicide for any shinobi to attempt petty theft while visiting another shinobi village. Civilians wouldn't understand that theft and murder wasn't what they had to fear but rather unintentionally giving away information. Unfortunately there was little the corp could do about that hazard except to be as present as possible in public areas and hope that the presence of shinobi would be enough to keep visitors from asking any probing questions.

It would be an interesting next few weeks. For all that he was incredulous at the realization of what being Genin Commander meant, Duzo was genuinely enjoying the challenge. He loved being in charge of the Enforcers. It had been his to organize and mold after Aioka realized no orders were coming from the Hokage to stop. She had her hands full enough as it was and had decided he was just the person to replace the Uchiha Police.

Duzo glanced at the sky in exasperation as he recalled how he fumbled during those early days. Orders coming out as questions and the panic and embarrassment he felt when he didn't know how to answer a question about protocol that had yet to exist. He had been such a mess but apparently the mess was enough to calm people and get things into some semblance of order.

He was thankful not to have a repeat performance this time around.

Pulling himself to the present, Duzo adjusted his course through the light foot traffic of the manufacturing district and glanced in the direction of the Academy. It was nearing six in the evening, the first stage was over and the second probably beginning. A pair of Runners had come in after their shift in the Mission Room to let those in the HQ know that the Corp Teams had passed, as had Team 7.

Duzo was surprised at himself that he wasn't even the slightest bit jealous of his former students or Aioka's. Growing up as the oldest of three and the son of a widower, he had hoped to become a jonin and provide relief for his family after his mother's passing but he had failed the jonin-sensei test while the other two passed. He still didn't know what he had done to fail.

He no longer wanted that rank. His father had found a better job and his younger siblings had both found apprenticeships to craftsmen of their choice. On his own he was content, even loving, his station in life. Maybe one day he would think about starting a family as his sister (the middle child) frequently nagged at him to do; he thought it was just because she was engaged to her craftermaster's son and was high on the 'in love' stage of her life.

Duzo approved of the match but that still didn't stop him from reminding the civilian that he knew multiple ways of making his life _very_ uncomfortable if anything happened to his sister.

A call of his Soutaichio's name pulled him from reminiscing on the many shades of pale his sister's betrothed could turn. Duzo blinked, furrowed his brow, and settled his weight on his heels.

"Huh."

He had, of course, heard about Aioka interacting with Hatake Kakashi. It was hot Corp gossip but he had never actually seen them together.

The spar between Team 7 and Team Aioka had been all anyone could talk about for days, and Duzo was deeply upset—he was not pouting Ai!—that he had not been able to make it to the exposition. It would have been amazing to see Soutachio face off with someone of Hatake's calibre. It was the opinion of most of the Corp that Aioka could keep up with a jonin in a spar if given the chance. Whether or not that was true didn't matter, it was what the Corp felt their Soutachio was capable of.

The two weren't alone at the moment, three other Jonin were with them. Duzo could recognize Maito Gai—had spoken to the man on a few occasions—and the bearded man as a Sarutobi clansman; but he couldn't place the attractive kunoichi.

That was a lot of jonin. Aioka didn't look uncomfortable, but Duzo knew better than to use the woman's appearance to judge the severity of a situation.

The call to his Soutaichio rose again as a gaggle of children melted from the crowd to converge on her with bright grins and dirty hands. Duzo wasn't the only one who grinned when the kids managed to knock the woman down.

A glance showed the group of jonin to be vastly amused by the situation. Shaking his head, Duzo chuckled and continued on his way. He should get a move on; Ai and Saito would probably sneak a portion of their paperwork onto his temporary desk if he delayed too much longer.

Plus—he glanced back over his shoulder—they would get a kick out of hearing about what he just witnessed...and probably wonder with him at how casual she managed to be in the face of jonin.

Sometimes, he and the other Lieutenant wondered at their mentors indifference to social statuses. They could understand acting that way with civilians—even if it wasn't always advisable—but none of them could manage the same composure in the face of jonin or even the more well known chunin. Oh, they could hide their admiration; but they would gossip and let out their excitement once safely away from the object of their admiration.

Aioka genuinely did not understand their reactions. She accepted that it happened and that most people could barely help said reaction, but she didn't really understand hero worship or fangirl/boying.

It was amusing to find that Aioka could treat two of the most famous (or infamous) jonin in Konoha the same as she did her Chunin friends, even as it was mildly horrifying.

He could not wait to tell Saito and Ai about this.

* * *

Ryuko was frozen. Fingers fisted in the material of his clothing as he awaited the inevitable violent reaction of the shinobi. There was nothing he could do to help. Even if he had been in his own village he could do nothing for those foolish children.

Children from five to eight years of age laughed in naive delight as they pile on a kunoichi while another kunoichi and three shinobi watched with dispassionate eyes.

Ryuko's breath hitched when the kunoichi wrapped her arms around the children and...laughed?

Blinking in stunned confusion, the Ame merchant stared as the kunoichi laughed and snuggled with the civilian children that had knocked her down in the street. The children shrieking with delight—and not the pain he had braced himself for—when the killers fingers dug playfulling into their sides or poked gently at cheeks pinched with grins.

The other shinobi looked down at the gaggle with tolerant amusement. The shinobi in green spandex—what in Kami's name?—making some remark that the kunoichi nodded solemnly to and said something seriously that had the children giggling madly and bearing their teeth mockingly up at the observing shinobi and making claws out of their hands.

The green shinobi boomed out a laugh while the others looked a bit startled but ultimately amused.

Ryuko gasped and tried to catch his breath. He hadn't realized he had been holding his breath.

"Merchant-san?"

Ryuko looked at the Konoha vendor he had been speaking to, comparing their wares, when the incident happened. The woman, a gentle mannered creature with a firm understanding of their craft, was watching him with concern and not a little bemusement.

"Forgive me, Onee-san," he licked his dry lips and darted his gaze back at the shinobi and children. The kunoichi was now standing and the children waving goodbye as they ran off.

"Is that a normal occurrence?" He couldn't resist asking. Absolutely floored by the completely unexpected reaction from the Konoha shinobi.

If that had happened in his village, the children would have left crying and with a possible bruise or two.

The woman followed his gaze and—to the man disbelief—beamed fondly.

"Ah, Shojikina-san. Yes, the children adore her, as do most of us."

Ryuko blinked rapidly, wringing the cloth still clutched in his nervous hands. "A kunoichi?"

While Ame shinobi did not steal from the civilians, they were not kind. It wasn't unusual for a civilian to be backhanded for brushing against one of them or being verbally attacked if a shinobi felt they were being looked at wrong. Or so it seemed to Ryuko.

The vender chuckled. "Hai, Shojikina-san leads the Genin Corp. If we ever need shinobi help we go to the Genin Corp for it. You can find them in every district, talking with people or doing little odd jobs. Why, two days ago Yoshikabi-san, another Genin, was picking trash out of my geraniums when I came to open shop."

Ryuko listened with wonder as the woman told him tales of the shinobi of Konoha. With this new knowledge, the merchant hesitantly began actively looking for these Genin that the vendors praised (he asked more than one throughout his day) and was able to witness for himself the comradarie Konoha's civilians had with their shinobi.

Children ran up to, into, and around the killers with no fear and the parents let them with indulgent smiles.

Ryuko even had the opportunity to watch a Konoha Genin act as a neutral mediator between a customer and a vendor who's haggling got out of hand. The shinobi calmed the tempers of the civilians and talked them both around to an agreement they were both happy with.

For the first time in a shinobi occupied village, Ryuko allowed himself to feel—while not safe—but at ease. Perhaps he would bring his son here for the boys' first trip with him. At least here Ryuko could have some confidence that his child would not pay dearly if he fumbled with a shinobi.

 **A:CG**

Aioka exhaled slowly and visibly shuddered.

The Forest of Death, also known as Training Ground 44, had always been some place she had avoided, even before she had known what it was called. The forest was, by far, the most chakra infused area she had ever encountered. A single tree had more chakra information emitting from it than an Academy student—considering it took several acres of normal trees to equal an Academy student...Aioka was not feeling good.

"Aioka-san?"

Aioka grunted at the thinly veiled concern behind Kakashi's inquiry, her eyes closed and her lips pinched as she adjusted to the abrupt discontinuation of information bombardment. By the doors that just closed—doors that somehow blocked her ability to sense pass them— Aioka could hear the two chunin on guard quietly mocking her reaction to the Forest.

"Nasty head ache all the sudden. It happens," she answered gruffly, irritated that the chunnin's lack of professionalism. If they had been any of her genin she would be putting them through remedial training. That kind of behaviour was not acceptable.

Whatever the tower was made of, Aioka wanted some. She couldn't feel a flicker of anything beyond the walls. On second thought, it was probably better if she didn't. It would be all too easy for her to become desensitized to the barrage of information intake she endured on a daily basis.

Sighing, the Genin Commander rolled her shoulders against the tension and lifted her eyes, squinting faintly against the lingering pain. "Well, that was unpleasant. Where to now, Kakashi-san?"

The dinner Yuhi Kurenai had been quick to coerce her into having with herself and the three shinobi with her had been...awkward, for Aioka at least. The questions about her childhood had, had a flush staining her cheeks nearly the whole time; she found it nigh impossible to talk about her first months in Kohona without getting stuck in loops of embarrassing memories of her ignorant rudeness.

At least the walk to her usual restaurant had been enjoyable. The Jonin had gotten a kick at how she let the children tackle her and complain about how she hadn't played with them for a while. The reaction of the visiting civilians had also been favorable. She had heard more than one conversation break out between Konoha's civilians and the foreigners, comparing the civilian-shinobi relations.

Kakashi had followed her when she had managed to escape an hour into the meal—an hour she was determined would remain in a hidden corner of her mind to gather dust—and had been her silent companion and guide up until now.

"Hm, this way," he murmured. The speculative look he gave her made Aioka wonder if he would attempt to drag her to a medic-nin.

She grimaced once his back was turned—having chakra shoved on her by medic-nin was the _last_ thing she needed right now.

"Do you know what the tower is made of?" she asked, falling into step with the slouched jonin and hoping to distract him from even considering that avenue of action.

"The rubble from the construction of the Shodaime's face, I think," Kakashi answered slowly and with a touch of confusion.

Aioka tilted her head back to look at the ceiling. The rock above them wasn't covered in modern materials like the side walls were, but the shadows from the duct work and wiring made it difficult to see the craftsmanship put into the mason work.

"Huh. I know the Corps' Headquarters was made from rock and stone dug up during the first construction of the village but hadn't thought where the rest of the debris was used." She chuckled a bit as she looked ahead. "Now that I think about it, most of the buildings near the monument have some form of stone work."

Aioka smiled as she imagined how civilians would respond to learning exactly what their homes and businesses were made of. The ridiculous bragging that would start would be entertaining. Hmm, something to possibly mention to a gossip ring if she ever got bored.

A thought crossed her mind and she glanced back up at the ceiling speculatively. If the tower was made from the rubble of the monument why didn't the monument itself interfere with her range? Something to ask her tou-san sometime.

"Why drag the rubble all the way over here? Wouldn't it have been easier to use it to build the Academy or the Hokage Tower?" she wondered out loud. It wasn't as if Training Ground 44 was especially close.

To her surprise, Kakashi answered and the two continued the surprisingly fascinating conversation of what buildings were constructed from what rubble all the way to a large communal area where jonin of the genin in the forest were gathered.

Aioka glanced around curiously, following Kakashi when he didn't even pause to take the room in. This was probably the most jonin she had seen in one place, and most certainly the most foriegn jonin.

What missions she took outside the village rarely involved foreign jonin. The one time that happened, the jonin had been forced to retreat before the combined skill of three career genin and a high chunin from a minor branch of the Aburame clan.

The tension was subtle but easily felt. Everyone was on their best behaviour but no one was relaxed, even if they faked it very well.

It was intimidating how quickly everyone seemed to pick her out, size her up, and dismissed her. Intimidating, mildly insulting, but kind of relieving. At least they weren't staring at her like the Konoha jonin had earlier in the Academy.

Aioka chuckled to herself when Kakashi pulled out his orange book and leaned up against a wall. Glancing at the title she shook her head settled next to the jonin to people watch and learn the signatures of the visiting jonin.

At some point a jonin she had only passing familiarity with—she was pretty sure one of his siblings was in her corp but couldn't place a name to his signature—managed to pull her away from Kakashi and over to a few others, where he introduced her and began a debate with her and the others about the importance of mastering a few things rather than knowing many. Aioka was on both sides of the debate. In her opinion, having mastery over the essential basics was vital but so was having a variety of less mastered skills.

The debate was going in circles when two very familiar signatures pulled her attention to the arrival of a group of High Chunin in T&I fatigues. The chunin spread out through the room, some heading for specific Jonin (village affiliation didn't seem to matter) while others meandered. Izumo and Kotetsu, however, changed direction when they spotted her.

To her relief, Kotetsu and Izumo waved her over; allowing her to excuse herself from her jonin companions. Aioka greeted her friends with a grin and a startled laugh when Izumo draped an arm over her shoulders and demanded what kind of training she put her genin through.

She hadn't had the chance to interact with them while they were on duty before so was delighted that their behaviour didn't change from what she was used to and allowed her to return their familiarity.

"What do you mean?" she asked, planting her feet to better take the weight of the chunin. The man smelled vaguely of chicken and dumplings and she wondered if he had dribbled food down his shirt again. He did that when he was talking during a meal sometimes.

"Your genin got full marks on their tests," Kotetsu explained, flicking her tan vest where said tests were peeking out. "The test was designed to gauge their abilities to gather intel on short notice without being caught. I don't know how your teams did it, but they managed to get the answers without getting caught once."

Aioka blinked and pulled out the tests to glance over the questions. Her eyebrows slowly furrowing as the questions grew progressively beyond her.

"Izumo-san," she started, looking faintly puzzled, "will you explain how the test was set up? I can answer a few of these off the top of my head but the rest I'd need access to material above my rank in order to solve them. My genin are smart, but they don't have access to this kind of material either."

The chunin gave a run down of the exam: explaining how the genin drew numbers that scattered them to various desks in a classroom and how they had an hour to answer the questions with the grace of five cheats. Aioka barked a laugh when Kotetsu mentioned how Nokomu Izami had the cheek to actually pull out a scroll on cypher theory from her mission pack. Why the woman had decided that particular scroll was necessary to carry with her, Aioka didn't know.

"Did they say anything during the test?" Aioka asked after they finished the explanation.

"Eh, I think the kunoichi said 'hopscotch and masks' at one point but it was more like a creative way of swearing," Izumo offered after a moment of thinking.

Aioka bit back a laugh and explained. "Those are games we play at the corp to practice _kawarmi_ and _henge_. In Hopscotch the team spread out and one person _kawarmi's_ with another. Masks is where members of a team henge into each other and another team has to guess who is really who."

The explanation was an oversimplification of the drills but they would do for now.

"You can _kawarmi_ with another person?" Kotetsu squawked incredulously.

Aioka winced at the volume and the curious stares the question drew but nodded. "Yeah, it's not hard. Just requires cooperation and a bit of trust."

The two stared at her for a moment then Izumo gave a disbelieving laugh. "You're telling me that six genin, simultaneously _henged_ and _kawarmi-ed_ with each other under our noses and we didn't notice?"

Aioka shrugged uncomfortably. She didn't understand what the big deal was. It was _henge_ and _kawarmi_. "It was probably just Izami initiating the _kawarmi_ , she's the best at it, but yes."

Izumo just shook his head while Kotetsu gaped at her. "You really have no idea how crazy that is, do you?"

Aioka sighed. It was basics, why were they acting like she had told them the sky was really yellow and not blue? "No? I and the Corp have been doing it for years. It's one of the requirements my genin need to meet in order to go on C-rank missions."

"What? Seriously?" Kotetsu sputtered. "What happens if they let the wrong person _kawarmi_ them? A lot of people can get killed that way. That's _why_ we're taught to resist in the first place."

Aioka rolled her eyes. "We're not idiots, Kotetsu-san. While any one of my Corps Genin can _kawarmi_ with each other, only long term teammates can do so in split second scenarios. And that's only after months of days in and out of familiarizing themselves with each others signature. We can, and will, block attempted _kawarmi_ if proper procedure isn't followed."

Very few teams could _kawarmi_ with each other in a battle scenario with signature familiarity alone. Most used 'knocking' patterns to request permission to switch with another.

"Even so, the whole team Ibiki-san used to observe the written test was absolutely impressed. Ibiki-san even asked about them," Kotetsu said.

Aioka bobbed a nod and shifted to relieve some of the pressure from the chunin using her as a hold-me-up. "He said he'd find me some time after I got to the Tower to discuss their performance."

Izumo let out a low whistle. "Ibiki-san is hard to impress, Aioka-san. You either did something really good or really bad."

Aioka huffed and dug an elbow into his ribs to get him off her. "I don't need you to scare me, Izumo-san. I know well enough what having Morino-san's attention could mean."

She would rather not ever experience T&I's hospitality but she wouldn't be surprised if that was in the cards for her. Sarutobi Hiruzen was first and foremost the Hokage and would be as ruthless as he needed to be to protect those in his care. The linency she had been shown was the best she could have hoped for but she was not ignorant to all the ways life could go south for her if he found something he took exception to.

Shaking off the dark turn of her thoughts, the woman glanced over her shoulder where Kakashi stood. At some point Maito, Yuhi, and Sarutobi had shown up and lingered in the vicinity of the reading Jonin. Yuhi and Sarutobi were in their own conversation while Maito was engaged in a very one sided discussion with a Kusa-nin who looked like he was regretting the life choices that brought him Maito's attention.

"Gossip says you've replaced us. Should we be jealous, Aioka-san?" Kotetsu teased, following her gaze.

"Hmm?" she asked distractedly. She was eyeing the space next to the masked Jonin. She would much rather be over there, versus here in the middle of a room full of foreign jonin, if she was going to continue talking about how she trained her Corps. "Do you think Kakashi-san would mind us joining him?"

Izumo and Kotetsu exchanged startled looks over Aioka's head. When had their favorite genin gotten on a first name basis with _Sharingan no Kakashi_?

"Kakashi-san is it?"

Aioka blinked when Kakashi tilted his head in her direction at Izumo's question and huffed in thoughtful surprise. The Jonin's hearing was exceptional if he heard his name across the room in the midst of multiple conversations.

"Hi no kuni to Aioka-san."

Aioka pulled her head back as a hand—stained with ink and smelling vaguely of knife oil and dumplings—waved inches from her nose. "Sorry, zoned out for a minute," Aioka excused with an amused smile at her friends antics. "What was that?"

The concern and amusement in the chunin duos eyes caught her attention and brought a puzzled frown to her face. "What?"

The two shrugged it off. "Were you missing us so much you had to go and replace us, Aioka-san? I thought you loved us," Izumo said, theatrically wiping tears from his eyes.

Aioka huffed in amusement. "Izumo-san, Kakashi-san is a poor substitute for you two. Now," she changed subjects and turned away from the jonin she had been studying, "what's next? Other than waiting for Morino-sama to find me, I have no idea what is supposed to happen."

Or attempted to, the devious looks on her friends' faces told her that her effort was about to be stonewalled.

"Oh, no, no," Kotetsu grinned, lifting a finger in mocking admonishment. "You're not getting out of this that easily. Spill. When did you and Kakashi get together?"

Aioka choked and stared at her friends with wide, horrified eyes. Across the room Kakashi froze and slowly lowered his book.

Izumo groaned and slapped his partner hard across the back of the head, sending the other men stumbling with sharp curses. "Idiot," he hissed, shooting a resigned glance across the room. Judging by the number of eyes on them, there wasn't a single jonin who hadn't caught that.

Aioka took a deep breath as humiliation roiled into cold anger. Her pulse raged beneath her skin and no small bit of fear fueled it as she struggled to keep her signature from vanishing in an instinctive effort to protect herself.

If that comment—the stupid, teasing, comment—had been made in privacy, Aioka would have found it amusing and would have been able to joke back. But for Kotetsu to say that in public? Where jonin, spies, and shadows of all calibre and allegiances could hear? It painted her a target. Made her something others could try to exploit against the last Hatake and make her life more difficult than she could potentially handle on her own. It didn't _matter_ that the statement wasn't true. It had been said for all and sundry to hear and many would choose to take it as truth on the off chance it _was_ true and they could claim the prestige of bringing Hatake Kakashi down.

She was a damn genin. Sure, she could keep up with most chunin and lower level jonin, but she was still only a genin, with genin skills, and genin know how. If more than one jonin chose to come after her...Aioka didn't like her chances.

There was a reason shinobi didn't joke about having relationships with lower ranks or civilians.

Aioka eased into a deliberately relaxed stance and contemplated what she would do. Before her, realization started to dawn on Kotetsu's face and he became sheepish. The man did not seem to realize the gravity his statement had. In fact—Aioka glanced at Izumo—neither of them did. She could feel the eyes of the other jonin, both curious and hostile, on her like a physical touch. Worse than when Kakashi had accepted her offer to get him coffee.

She could not run away from this: it would show too much weakness and lend credence to Kotetsu's teasing inquiry. She could not outright deny the claim: it wouldn't be believed by anyone who couldn't scent lies. It would be unwise to verbalize a reminder of her true rank and paint her as an even more soft target.

"That was uncalled for, Hagane-san."

Kotetsu and Izumo winced at the demotion to formality and the utterly blank look on their friends' face. It had been a stupid thing to say. Now their friend would be subject to some pretty harsh gossip and possible confrontations from those who felt Aioka wasn't worthy of a jonin's attention because of her rank. Neither recognized the extent of the damage Kotetsu had done because neither viewed the woman as a genin. At the back of their mind they were aware of her rank, but to them she was as much as their equal as Iruka.

"You're right, I'm sorry. Shouldn't have said that," Kotetsu sighed, dropping his hand from where Izumo had slapped him.

Aioka gritted her teeth, still furious, but jerked a nod at the apology. "What's next, Hagane-san?"

"Shojikina-san."

Aioka turned sharply at the demanding bark of her name, perhaps inappropriately relieved to see the scowling visage of Morino Ibiki.

"Morino-sama. How may I help you?" she asked. Praying he was here to take her for the promised discussion of her teams. She did not know if she could extract herself from her oblivious friends without adding fuel to an already uncontrollable fire.

The tokubetsu jonin ignored the two chunin beyond a glance—a glance that had the pair blanching, even with its brevity. "Expect to lose those genin even if they don't make it passed the second stage," he warned.

Aioka blinked as she mentally changed gears, and frowned. Thankfully that statement didn't feel like a threat of her subordinates being thrown into cells. Of the six, Izami would be the only one to enjoy working in T&I but none would pass up the chance for a promotion. They would have a better chance of transferring out of T&I and into regular forces under the observation of those in T&I.

"Hai, Morino-sama. If you require their Corp files I can have them delivered by the end of the day," she acknowledged.

Morino tilted his head in acknowledgement and a demand. "Walk with me."

Aioka glanced at her chunin friends before obeying, not daring to look back to Kakashi and feed the seed planted.

"Why would I need your Corp files?"

Aioka deliberately shoved the anger, humiliation, and fear away to be dealt with later and grabbed on to the topic of her Corp. While Morino's question was sharp Aioka sensed no real hostility—a thought whispered that the man was offering her a distraction.

"Corp files are what I speculate Archive has on all its shinobi, I suggested them for comparison and for the notes they have from the various—" Aioka side stepped when Kakashi shunshined to her side, nose still buried in his book,"—instructors they've had and comments from clients. It also holds their Corp mandated psych evaluations and the results of their MSE's," Aioka said, the explanation much more relaxed after Kakashi's appearance.

The masked jonin's presence relieved her. She was so glad that he was willing to associate her despite of her friend's faux pas.

The interrogation specialist eyed the addition to their party but didn't address him. "MSE's, Shojikina-san?"

Aioka dipped her head, mildly embarrassed that she had forgotten that shinobi outside of the Genin Corp didn't take MSE's. "Ah, Mandatory Skills Evaluations, Morino-sama. It's held every six months to, obviously, evaluate skills the Corp deems mandatory."

"The Corp, meaning you," Morino stated, leading them up a level and toward what Aioka recognized as the Hokage's signature as well as a number of Anbu guards.

Aioka acknowledged the accusation with a nod. "Hai, though my Lieutenants helped refine it to what it is today."

Implementing MSE's had been an intensely frustrating endeavor. The genin who had been in the corp well before she had come into the picture had fought and whined against the change more intensely than any of the other changes. They had already been frustrated with their comfortably boring lives being rocked, the push for them to continually improve was their breaking point. Aioka had set diplomacy aside during that time and used the darker side of her personality do the talking. The older generation never forgot the way she broke them and made them bleed; they would continue to protest but they learned it was not worth it to push their Commander to that point again. She had eventually earned their respect for respects' sake but none who were subjected to her wrath ever lost the fear she instilled.

Morino hummed and came to a stop in front of an unassuming door. "The Hokage decided to wait to hear about your teams performance during the first stage until now. Do you still have the tests?"

Aioka nodded, her hand automatically touching the pocket the tests had returned to during her conversation with Izumo and Kotetsu.

Morino nodded and open the door. "Good."


	24. 023 Tea with the Hokage

Disclaimer: Hmmm, yeah, no; Naruto still isn't mine =D

A/N (This is more for my readers on Ao3 than here on FF but possibly still relevant.): So! There seems to be a bit of confusion going on about whose story belongs to who between me (Uncertain) and ShadowAccio6181. ShadowAccio is the creator of _Makoto no Monogatari: Ikigai_ , and is my Beta for _A:CG_. As of right now ShadowAccio isn't connected to my other Naruto story, _Anea: A Will to Live_ , but that may change when I actually start working on it again =D

(For those of you who read _Makoto no Monogatari: Ikigai_ , ShadowAccio is in the process of giving it a major overhaul to cut down on the info dumps. She has heard your critiques and is doing her best to implement the ones she has found helpful. I have been Beta-ing for her as time allows.)

Hope that clears things up for y'all.

On with the story!

* * *

Aioka hadn't realized that she had been imagining how this meeting would go until reality sharply deviated from her expectations.

She had expected a setting similar to what she had experienced in the Hokage's office or—at worst— her being taken to an interrogation room.

Neither had happened and she found herself bemused.

The room Morino had led her to was beautiful and serene with its beautiful murals and colorful tapestries. The plush carpet—not a material one usually saw outside of opulent nobles homes—was a pleasant mixture of browns that mimicked what Aioka thought beach sands would look like. There was a small section of wood flooring that twisted up into a depiction of the Will of Fire—she wondered if the Anbu embedding himself in the floor beneath the sculpture had made it.

Aioka recognized the signature but she had never seen, or sensed, him out of his role as Anbu.

There were four Anbu hidden throughout the room: A Hyuuga, a Nara, an Inuzuka, and the clanless shinobi in the floor. The Hyuuga was crouched on a ledge near the ceiling with a genjutsu cleverly disguise him as a statue of sitting panther. The Inuzuka was standing in plain sight behind the Hokage but somehow managed to seem to be part of the mural painted on that section of wall. The Nara was above the only obvious door, also on a ledge but hidden behind a sheer drapery like decoration that ran along that particular walls' ceiling edge rather than a Genjutsu.

All of these details were noted in the silence that followed Morino completing his verbal report to the Hokage on the details of the First Exam. Hearing this for the second time, Aioka was torn between amusement that the first exam mirrored the written exam she put all fresh-from-the-Academy genin through, and disappointment at how easy this task was for her teams. While the test questions had been difficult, the exercise was hardly a true challenge for the teams she had chosen.

The fact that Izami had carried a scroll on cyphers had been terribly amusing. The woman must have taken it along just in case she had a moment of down time.

The silence stretched and Aioka waited patiently, her gaze drifting between the three—visible—men as they absorbed what had been said. The Hokage's gaze was far away, smoke slipping lazily from his faint frown.

Aioka wondered if that frown was from confusion or just his default thinking face. Morino was waiting for the Hokage to speak; legs stretch out and crossed carelessly while he leaned back in his seat.

Kakashi had an elbow resting on his knee and his chin resting in his hand as he read his book.

Her lips tilted with subtle humor. The things that man could get away with was ridiculous. Including inviting himself to a meeting with the Hokage.

The Sensei of Team 7 just had this feel about him that suggested there was very little he couldn't get away with.

Movement drew her gaze back to the Hokage and found herself being regarded by black eyes. The silence was ending.

"Your chosen genin are well trained, Shojikina-san, I am impressed," the Sandaime stated, emptying his pipe.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Aioka replied.

The Hokage set his pipe aside and leaned back in his seat with that same indecipherable frown. Aioka was good at reading expressions, she had to be with the duties she performed, but she could not tell what the Hokage was thinking.

"Since your petition crossed my desk last month," the Sandaime began, "a great many things have come to light, Shojikina-san. Do you know what I have found?"

The interrogative question wasn't wholly unexpected, but it struck Aioka as odd for the casual setting they were in. The Sandaime's inquiry was too vague for her to answer concisely. She was capable of telling him everything she was able to prove he knew, but that would be far to long an answer.

Fortunately, the Hokage continued without waiting for her reply.

"I have found that I have lost touch with one of my shinobi divisions. I have found great skill I was unaware of until last month. And I have discovered I have a Commander I did not authorize."

Aioka wasn't sure what to think of that last statement. Uzashi had given her an official certificate of rank. She had seen numerous official documents while working in archives and knew what she had signed was a genuine article.

A band tightened around her chest.

"I… am confused, Hokage-sama," Aioka admitted slowly and with less than steady composure. Of everything she had thought would be addressed, she had never thought her rank would be disputable. That was one thing she had been certain of; her authority over the Genin Corp. The validity of her rank was the key to all her arguments for the changes she had made, without that to stand on…

What…? How…? ...shouldn't be possible.

Where did the air go? —shouldn't have been able to sneak...did her tou-san know? Why didn't anyone— did she read anything about that?

Aioka desperately locked her eyes on the Hokage when color started to fade from her vision—her pulse racing like it hadn't since faced with Naruto's realization of the lies he had been told—deliberately taking in the placidness of his expression, reading the calmness of his signature, and using the man as a focal point to ground herself.

Slowly, she calmed as darkness gave way to clarity and blinked as her other senses returned, realizing that her Kage had said something but she had completely missed it.

"I apologize, could," she flushed as her voice cracked, swallowed and exhaled slowly, "could you repeat that, Hokage-sama?"

The man studied her for a moment before leaning forward and pushed her cooling tea toward her. "Drink your tea, Shojikina-san."

Aioka obeyed, taking up the delicate cup and breathing in the grounding scent of Oolong and honey. There was something niggling at the back of her mind about the tea situation, it had been quietly mulling over the situation since the Hokage had served her and the jonin with her.

She'd figure it out later if it was important.

"How did you get this, Shojikina-san?" The Hokage inquired, holding a picture frame out toward her from across the low tea table. Where he had pulled that from, she missed as she sat down.

Aioka leaned forward to accept the familiar frame. It was her Certificate of Rank that had hung in her office. She wondered if Duzo had noticed it missing yet.

"Uzashi Ko, the Genin Commander before me, presented it to me when he retired. He had me recite the oaths before the corp and sign this to officialize my rank," Aioka replied. Calm once more and firmly in control of herself.

She would be embarrassed and panic later.

The Hokage's brows shot up in surprise recognition. "Uzashi-san? I had thought the Yondaime had replaced him."

Aioka shook her head, careful not to show a lick of the disbelief she felt. The Hokage hadn't been in touch with the Genin Corp since the Yondaim's passing? "The Kyuubi Attack prevented that, Hokage-sama. Ko-san's chosen replacement died and he remained in command until I was brought to his attention."

The Hokage raised a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, looking both pained and amused. "This confusion suddenly makes a great deal of sense."

Aioka blinked and slid her gaze toward Kakashi, but the man was watching the Hokage with curiosity of his own. Even Morino was waiting for the Hokage to explain his comment.

Sighing the Hokage dropped his hand. "Do you know where Uzashi-san is today, Shojikina-san?"

Aioka nodded, a glimmer of sadness passing through her eyes. "Uzashi Ko lives with a caretaker in _Ryoko-sha no kyukeisho_ , Hokage-sama."

"Ah," the Hokage murmured.

 _Ryoko-sha no kyukeisho_ was where shinobi with failing health went to live out their days if they had no family to care for them. By the time they were placed there, most could not care for themselves without assistance.

Ko had enjoyed his retirement in the fashion he had dreamed of, for almost five years before suffering a stroke that paralized portions of his left side. Since then, his health had been in a steady decline. His caretaker had confided in Aioka two weeks ago that she did not expect the man to live much longer.

Aioka explained this when the Hokage inquired after his health.

"I will visit him to confirm a suspicion, but for now I think I will table this topic. I am not displeased with the results that have come to pass during your command, Shojikina-san, just with the fact that your position was not authorized by me."

Aioka bowed her head before the level stare of her kage. "Hai, Hokage-sama," she murmured and straightened with an inquisitive furrow of her brows. "May I ask what step was overlooked in our exchange of titles, Hokage-sama?"

The sandaime smirk was decidedly amused. "My approval and signature, Shojikina-san."

Aioka blinked at the obvious point and dropped her eyes to the document still in her hands. "Oh."

* * *

Hiruzen chuckled soundlessly at the stunned reply; terribly amused by the genuine befuddlement that proceeded a brilliant flush of embarrassment. The kunoichi had nerves of steel—brief panic attack aside—but it was her own actions/reactions that made her fumble. Not once had she shown any discomfort being alone with him and two of his most renowned shinobi, but her voice cracking rattled her calm. It was amusing and peculiar.

But as entertaining as he found her, there were things he needed to know.

Sighing, he leaned forward and pulled the kunoichi's file from the shelf under the tea table. The file had bulked up some since he had first seen it but it was still incomplete. Kakashi had been the main informant but Ibiki had been able to add some things. A good deal was still missing, primarily medical and psych records.

It had been unpleasant to find that a good many shinobi in the Genin rank—both career and jonin-track—lacked crucial details in their files. The vast majority of them were from civilian families; the others were from lesser known shinobi families. The only Genin with acceptable files were from known Families or Clans that would, and did, check in on them. The willful negligence was being corrected but it looked like each genin was going to have to be interviewed in order to update their files properly.

"In our last conversation," he began, drawing the sole kunoichi from her embarrassment, "you mentioned testing the waters between yourself and whoever would take notice." He passed her file over to the woman. "Would this be one reason?"

Shojikina set the framed Certificate on the table before taking the file and flipping through it. While the kunoichi perused the documents, he set about pouring the tea. The frown that pulled at her lips was one of displeasure, which grew to irritation the more she read and saw.

The kunoichi closed the file with a decidedly unhappy mien. "No, Hokage-sama, I wasn't aware of this...problem, though I can rectify these blanks easily enough. My Corp has our own version of personnel files in the Records Hall in the HQ, including my own. Would you like me to get someone in Filing to bring mine to you? I have already offered the participating Corps teams files to Morino-sama."

Hiruzen glanced at Ibiki and couldn't resist a soft chuckle at the calculating look the scared man was giving the kunoichi. This meeting was not turning out at all how he had thought it would. He had suspicions it would not be unpleasant, but he had not foreseen how cooperative and at ease the woman would be. Frankly, it was disconcerting. He should have been far less amicable than he was—the woman _had_ all but stolen a division of his shinobi from him—but so far, he had not needed a firmer hand to get answers.

And neither Ibiki nor Kakashi seemed to feel force was necessary either, judging by the ease of their postures.

"That would be acceptable," Hiruzen confirmed, then picked up his cooling tea. "Why did you feel the Petition would bring you to my attention?"

She had, after all, managed to go years without his notice. Which was still disturbing and being investigated.

The woman set her file atop the picture frame on the table put a couple pieces of pocky on a plate for herself as she answered. "I had not expected to go unnoticed this long, Hokage-sama, and am still concerned that I had—even if it allowed me the freedom to reform the Genin Corp into my best interpretation of what the Nidaime had originally intended the Corp to be." The woman sat back with her plate and met his eyes with a resigned smile. "I have no more excuses to _not_ point out this oversight. If I wasn't brought to your attention, then I'd know you never received the Petition and would alert those who had signed it and let them deal with it."

Hiruzen could imagine how that would have turned out. The number of vouchers she had acquired was impressive. To have that many of his shinobi feeling snubbed? It would have been a public and messy reveal. He was quite thankful that it had not come to that.

"You suspected that the Petition wouldn't get to the Hokage?"

Hiruzen frowned when the Kunoichi shrugged and nodded at Ibiki's inquiry. "Explain," he commanded.

Shojikina straightened in reaction to his tone. "It was a possibility I had to keep in mind, Hokage-sama. I have been making adjustments and changes to the Corp for nearly ten years and not once has anyone challenged me on it. How could I think anything other than it was being deliberately ignored? And if not ignored, then hidden. If the Petition wasn't addressed, I would have kicked the problem over to the jonin and chunin who signed it," she said, reiterating the fact that she wouldn't have let the disregard of her Corp continue.

"Why bother? You could have continued on like this for a good deal longer," Ibiki pointed out.

It was an unpleasant truth too. Until it was brought to his attention by the woman herself, the Genin Corp hadn't been on any list of things to pay attention to.

The kunoichi turned her gaze to Ibiki, something displeased about the set of her mouth. "That is exactly why, Morino-sama. That shouldn't have been possible. I have taken an entire division, gutted it, tore it to its foundation, and rebuilt it all without interference. I," she stopped and turned her gaze to him with faint uncertainty.

Hiruzen met her eyes calmly.

"You, Shojikina-san?" he prompted.

The woman's eyes flickered up and away for a moment, gathering her thoughts, before returning to him with resigned composure. "I have dedicated my life to the protection of this village and her people, but if I—an immigrant from Tsuchi no Kuni, a mere Genin—could do this…" she trailed off and shook her head. "I couldn't continue to keep my silence, Hokage-sama."

It was a fair point to make, if highly impertinent of her as a genin. He had been asking himself the same question for over a month. If she had done this, who else had?

He was too old for his post. Once the Exam was over, he would review who was eligible for Hokageship and hand over the hat. He had been a fool for holding on to it for as long as he had.

"By admitting that, I have grounds to hand you over to T&I," he remarked idly, taking up his tea cup once again. Breathing in the soothing aroma of oolong, Hiruzen watched the woman across from him.

Shojikina dipped her head, acknowledging the truth of that statement, but said nothing. Neither needed to mention that he could have had her tossed to T&I long before now if he had wished.

In the following silence, Kakashi set his book down and pushed his empty cup toward Shojikina. The kunoichi blinked in bemusement but obediently refilled the Jonin's cup, returning the pot back to the serving tray when both Ibiki and himself declined a refill.

Hiruzen mulled over the silent reaffirmation of trust from his former Anbu captain. News of Kakashi's declaration of trust during the First Stage had made its rounds. Hiruzen was looking forward to seeing how the kunoichi handled the scrutiny she would be subjected to, and vexed by the complications such an endorsement would bring when he decided upon the consequences to lay on her.

Honestly, he was loath to harm the kunoichi. The woman had done phenomenal things with the Genin corp. However, he could not allow her blatant insubordination to go unaddressed; and he needed to be absolutely sure that she was not hiding behind transparency.

Perhaps he would call on Inoichi for this. It was the least painful for someone who was willing, and guaranteed truthfulness that Hiruzen would trust.

Setting that thought aside to discuss with Ibiki later, Hiruzen smiled and gestured as if to brush the tension away. "What do you think of the Chunin Exams so far, Shojikina-san?"

The kunoichi eyes flickered with surprise and confusion at the sudden change of topic, and then settled on sheepish amusement—her lips quirking and showing a flash of teeth . "Ah, this first part was a little underwhelming, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen laughed out right at the baffled indignation on Ibiki's face and the look on Kakashi's that questioned the kunoichi's sanity.

"Explain, please," he asked around another chuckle. He would have to keep her around if she continued to pull such entertaining reactions from his jonin.

Shojikina smiled wryly. "We do this type of testing annually to make sure people are staying up to scratch. The information is different but the method is the same, down to the observers and lesson in cheating."

"I see," Hiruzen said, amused. "Hopefully the next stage will be more challenging."

"Aa, it will be. Training Ground 44 will be well outside of their realm of experience," Shojikina agreed.

"You sound pleased about this."

The kunoichi paused, tilting her head as if listening, before lifting a shoulder in a sheepish shrug. "I want them to show you what they are capable of, Hokage-sama. Morino-sama has already informed me that he will be taking them after the Exams are done, but I can't help but think he hasn't seen the full scope of their skills."

Hiruzen slid his gaze toward his Interrogations specialist with displeasure and received a deadpan look in return.

"If they don't rank through the Exam, I want them to Apprentice in Intelligence, Hokage-sama," Ibiki stated.

Ah, not a promise of advancement without his approval. Hiruzen hummed in acknowledgement and turned back to Shojikina.

"This stage will last five days. You may leave to eat and sleep, but all sensei are asked to stay in or near the tower until the fate of their teams are known."

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Shojikina said, her brow pinching and her head tilting again in that listening fashion.

Before he could make an inquiry, someone knocked at the door.

"Enter,' he called.

The door opened to allow Iruka entrance. The Chunin startled at seeing Shojikina but quickly refocused on him and bowed. "Hokage-sama, the first team has arrived."

 **A:CG**


End file.
